The Dead Don't Always Stay Buried
by LeStrange and Quinzel
Summary: Friends are worried, the Hokage is concerned and Kakashi couldn't seem to care less as he neglects himself. A mistake leads to the intervention of someone who should be dead, and the course of history might be changed. "Obito?" the smile turned into a grin, nervous aspect remaining. "Yeah, it's me."
1. Chapter 1

**Co-written with ISpeltEclipseWrong, in which Obito makes a mistake while checking in on his old teammate. Set in the first few months of the year Naruto was born, about two years after Rin dies. POV is omniscient third person. **

**Feedback is appreciated, let us know what you ****think!**

**Naruto is not owned by us.**

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Kakashi slowly opened the door to his darkened apartment with a weak arm. The man was pretty much dead on his feet, still dressed in his ANBU Captain's uniform but with his Hound mask pushed up into his hair instead of covering his face. There were visible bags under his eyes, one black and the other bright red. Usually, they had to change out of their uniforms at the ANBU headquarters, but he was bleeding out from a slash in his arm and really didn't want to deal with fussing medical staff today. Besides, it had been easier just to sneak up to his apartment even with legs that wobbled and threatened to go out from under him.

He squeezed around the barely opened door and closed it with a soft 'click' behind him, plunging the man back into complete darkness cut off from the light outside. His hand reached out after a moment and flipped the light switch, bathing the hallway in yellowed light. Black spots had to be blinked from his vision and he walked down the hall as if he was in a daze.

He pulled off his mask and threw it into his bedroom via the open door, the porcelain landing softly on his bed. He stopped into his bathroom and pulled the First Aid kit out of his medicine cabinet. He went into the kitchen and sat at the table, opening it in front of him. After a moment, he decided it could wait since it wasn't bleeding that badly. He left the kitchen and went to go sort out his things for the next week-long mission he'd beg for.

Darkness hung over the village as one ex-Konoha ninja slipped through the cracks in the defenses, made easier by his steadily progressing skills as a shinobi. It wasn't the first time he had done this. Actually, it was the fifth time since the new year had started. His training master had passed away not long ago, leaving him and his most loyal friend, a strange plant man named Zetsu, to care for themselves... and to continue the plot for world peace-via-domination, but that was another story.

The young man, one Obito Uchiha, darted silently through the shadows as his destination came into view. The newly sixteen year old made a single jump up, landing without a sound on the balcony of the apartment he had targeted. His single eye closed to prevent any counter surveillance and sights that weren't his started to flicker into being until they grew crystal clear.

The first thing he noticed was the blood. The second? The fact that the blood was still flowing, and the third thing he noticed was that nothing was being done to stop it.

The boys jaw clenched tightly and he hissed through gritted teeth. What was wrong with Kakashi?

Kakashi was too absorbed in his packing to be aware of much of anything at the moment, and that was exactly how he liked it. He pulled a shift from his closet, folded it, and put it into his travel bag. Repeat as necessary for the length of the mission and space available. He pulled out a pair of trousers from his dresser, setting them on top of the mission's supply of shirts. Repeat. This allowed his mind to be focused on the task, but utterly blank as the task required no thought. A respite.

Every time the ninja walked across his bedroom floor, from closet to travel bag, dust from lack of use was kicked up. Kakashi was hardly aware that every now and then he'd cough. Other than that, the rooms of his apartment were sparce and clean; the bed was made and, in fact, unslept in, Kakashi survived mostly off ration pellets so his kitchen was clean and bare, and he was hardly at home so there were little to no personal artifacts about.

The deep slash across Kakashi's arm was starting to clot, with no help from the ANBU, but blood still trickled down his arms. He was ignoring it, the warm buzz of pain firmly in the background. It was always like this.

For a very long time he just watching, slowly growing more frustrated until Obito's own eye snapped open without his knowledge and he started seething. He had taken a boulder to the right side for this boy, and here was acting like a _moron_. That wound should have been sealed by now, clothes should have been unpacked for a few days off, and there should not have been that much dust.

Obito spun around to glare at the glass window of the sliding door and promptly stuck his mask covered face to its surface, creating a slight 'clink'. The mask was a new addition, a private joke between him and Zetsu to mock the ANBU of the various villages. Through the crack in the curtains he could see a pristine couch and a useless kitchen. It took him a few minutes to realize that the eye connection probably went two ways.

When that realization struck he reacted more than thought, leaping back across the street and out of the range he had carefully tracked.

Of course, by that time, it was already too late. Kakashi stood stock-still in front of his travel bag, which was still open and sitting on his unused bed, a black long-sleeved shirt in his hands. He had recognized that house, the living room behind the blinds, as his own. The vision had been dark around the edges and spotty, but it had been there.

He dropped the shirt, scooping his mask off the bed and sliding it back onto his head. Once the mask was settled firmly on his face, he unsheathed his sword and marched out of the room. He had no idea what that was, why he had a vision of his own home from outside, but something was up. The window opened and the boy jumped out and onto the roof, keeping low and looking around.

Obito stood on the roof opposite of the ANBU's home, watching him come out with weaponry drawn. That had been a stupid mistake, one he had thought he had trained himself out of, but one that he could not take back. So, when his old friend came out and jumped up onto the roof across the alleyway, Obito stayed still; watching and waiting.

He didn't try to hide himself; it was a village of ninja, who would notice one more? He even kicked the tiling below his feet, trying to gain the stupid-acting shinobi's attention. He had known that Kakashi had been beating himself up over incidents in the past, but he hadn't known it had gotten so far he would ignore such a blatant injury. Something had to be done, so he was doing it. Just in case of attack he gripped a kunai.

The ANBU captain looked up, seeing the man on the rooftop across the street. He put his sword back into its scabbard cautiously, and then leaped across the building. Kakashi putting away his weapon while engaging a possible enemy was more than stupid, but his rationalization was that he 'didn't know if he was an enemy yet'. It was enough to fool himself.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low and rough. He was 'The Hound' right now; the ANBU, not the man behind the mask, "Were you the one who sent me that vision? Why are you outside these apartments?"

At first he didn't say anything, but saw himself as Kakashi saw him. It was logical to assume the same was happening with the other eye as well. He hadn't planned on this happening, hadn't planned on anything even remotely close to this happening in fact, and his mind was scrambling to come up with a solution that wouldn't end badly. In the end, he started rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah, that was me," he admitted. He would be surprised if Kakashi recognized him with the mask on. His hair was longer, almost to his shoulders, and puberty had finally caught up to his voice.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the other man, the Hound mask obstructing his vision at this point was not even a hindrance for the ninja. He could see himself, along with the other man... The double vision, the two perspectives, were unsettling.

"Why? And how are you sending me information from your own point of view?" The Hound demanded, taking a step closer but not yet taking out his sword. "I have to take you in for questioning."

"Whoa!" he stepped back, holding up his hands up as a shield in front of him, "No, not happening. Sorry Kakashi, but I've got other plans and Ibiki isn't in any of them."

That was, perhaps, not the best thing to say. The lack of threatening metal helped, and he had stowed his own defensive weapon by then. The shared vision was warped slightly, disturbing his sense, but not enough to hinder him any if it came to blows.

Kakashi's eyes widened and he took another step forward, this time his fist clenching around his sword's hilt. He tensed up the muscles on his arm without thinking, the action splitting the rapidly forming scab on his gash and the blood started flowing again.

"How do you know my name?" Kakashi demanded, "Who are you?"

"Ah, funny story…" he drawled, letting his arms drop down as he took a step back, hitting the top of the roof and balancing there. His eye was drawn to the now-reopened cut on the boy's arm and he scowled beneath the mask.

"Damn it! I didn't take a boulder so you could let yourself fall apart!" he exclaimed.

Kakashi was taken aback by the man's words. His gaze flicked from his arm to the man again.

"My arm? But... Wait, a boulder?! Who are you?" Kakashi took another few steps closer, pulling out his sword. He refused to be mocked by some stranger, not with _that_ as the subject at least. The people of the village already called him Friend Killer, wasn't that enough?

Obito rolled his eye and reached up, unclipping the orange mask. He was starting to miss the simplicity of goggles.

"I thought you were supposed be a genius." he muttered, holding the mask in place for a moment. "Alright, I'm going to take this off. But you have to promise not to freak out, okay?"

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, the double-vision and strangeness of this all putting him off. He nodded, absently picking at his bleeding arm.

"Yes, I promise I won't 'freak out'." he promised, trying to keep his voice even.

"You are _so _going to freak out," he deadpanned, and finally removed the mask from his face. The hand holding it dropped to his side and he stood there, the moon choosing that moment to come out and illuminate his form.

Obito raised a hand in greeting, a nervous half-smile forming. "Hey. How've you been?"

A clatter rung out through the entire empty street as Kakashi let go of his sword, his hand falling limply to his side directly after his grip gave out. Behind the delicate porcelain mask, the boy's expression morphed into shock and his eyes widened.

He lifted his other hand to his face carefully, pulling off his mask and letting it hang around his neck. The double vision intensified and he took a few steps forward, gaping like a fish.

"Obito?" Kakashi asked softly in disbelief.

The smile turned into a grin, but the nervous aspect remained. Well, that was one way to tell your best friend you were still alive.

"I though you said you wouldn't freak out," he teased lightly. His expression dropped into something more serious and he braced his feet, staying where he was.

"It's me," he confirmed, watching himself and Kakashi through both of his eyes. Wow, the scars looked much worse in this lighting.

Kakashi's eyes were drawn to the scars. He looked at his friend's face, down the side of his body that was crushed, and down at his own hand. He swallowed thickly, unable to raise his eyes back up to his friend and look at him again.

"Am I dead?" he asked, softly. He wondered if his careless actions had finally done him in. In this life, would he get to hang out with Obito again? Would this fantasy of his friend always bear the scars of Kakashi's failure?

Obito stared at him blankly. He had anticipated a lot of reactions, but that was not one. It was worrying that that would be the first conclusion made. "That's it?" he asked, "'Am I dead?' No, you moron, but you will be soon if you don't start taking care of yourself!" He stomped forwards suddenly.

It was perfect. He would be a ghost. Yes, the perfect plan. "What is that?" he barked, pointing to the open wound, "You're bleeding, you look like a damn raccoon, and when's the last time you've used that kitchen? Well?"

Kakashi jumped a bit when Obito approached him, yelling. He didn't lash out, just shrunk back like a wounded animal or scolded child. He shrugged his shoulders at Obito's questions, looking away.

"I 'unno... It's not that bad. I just don't feel tired, and ration pellets are more convenient." Kakashi listed quickly, the last two were the usual excuses he used with the Hokage.

"Why...How are you here, Obito? You're dead. I let you die, I felt so... I just... Never mind. What's going on?"

"An intervention is what's going on," he retorted hotly, walking straight through Kakashi. It was a trick he had recently unlocked, one he was now putting to very good use. He paused when he hit the edge of the rooftop and turned to look back at his friend impatiently.

"Come on. Bad excuses are my thing," he allowed his hard, annoyed expression to soften a bit, trying to get the other to follow. He was going to make him take care of himself if he had to.

Kakashi gasped as Obito walked right through him, feeling nothing. His hands came up to touch his chest and he swallowed heavily. An illusion? No. A specter?… Kakashi crouched to pick up his sword, sliding it back into its scabbard, and turned to face Obito.

He followed after the other man as they jumped across the roofs and into his apartment.

"An intervention?" Kakashi asked.

Obito nodded. He walked through the door instead of opening it, mostly for show. No matter how serious this may have been, it was still something he was going to enjoy. After all, how many people could say they came back from the dead?

"Yes, an intervention. You're acting like an idiot. Rin and I didn't do what we did so you could throw away your life on missions, or ignore your body's basic needs," that might be a cruel thing to bring up, it was still an open wound for Obito too, but it would get the point across.

"Oh..." Kakashi trailed off, looking down at his feet. Kakashi thought to himself; 'Am I in shock? Yes, I'm probably in shock'. This was all a little much to take in at once...

"So, you really are dead then?" Kakashi asked softly before trailing off yet again, "Of course you are, I _failed_. I'm so sorry, Obito, sorry for you and Rin both. If I wasn't so stupid, or if I was stronger I could have gotten us all out of that cave and kept Rin safe... I broke my promise to you. I'm so, so sorry." Kakashi was just rambling now.

The other boy stopped and turned to look at his friend, sighing softly. He couldn't let him keep feeling guilty, and therefore he couldn't keep being a ghost, as fun as it was.

"I'm not dead... And you didn't do anything wrong, except neglect your own health and wallow in guilt and self pity."

He stepped closer, holding out his hand once he had removed the gloves, "See? I'm here."

Kakashi carefully approached Obito like the other was a wild animal, reaching out his own hand to touch Obito's palm. Solid. He was really there. Warm. He was really alive.

"Why?" was all the ANBU could ask. Why lie? Why come back now? Why not tell him beforehand? Why forgive him? Why?

"I told you earlier it was a funny story," he murmured, quieter than he ever had been around Kakashi. It was harder to be infallibly cheerful these days, especially regarding his old teammates.

His fingers curled around the other boy's and he gave a slight tug, dragging him over to the medical kit. "It can wait until you've got this injury taken care of. Wrap it up, and I'll go see I can get take out this late." He let go and turned to leave, honestly intending to return.

Kakashi had been comforted briefly through being able to hold Obito's hand again. Alive, he was alive. He sat down in front of the First Aid kit when prompted, but when Obito turned to leave Kakashi reached out and grabbed his arm with both hands.

"No! Nonononono!" He said quickly, all in one breath, and gave Obito's arm a little tug. "No. Stay, please."

Surprise colored the other boys face as he turned to look at his former teammate, the grip on his arm tight. Aside from sparring matches, had they ever been that close before?

"Alright," his voice came out thick and Obito cursed himself for it. With his free hand he covered one of Kakashi's, trying to smile as easily as he used to. "I'll stay for a while."

He couldn't stay forever, he had plans for the future after all.

Kakashi nodded slowly and bit by bit released his grip. The 'a while' part confused him, because why would Obito return to Konoha just to leave again? It didn't make sense. He decided to let it go for now though, turning to face front in his chair.

He opened the medical kit and pulled out some anti-septic, pouring it over his arm and hissing when it burned. "Thank you," he said, using a cotton ball to clean away the blood.

Obito hummed in response, watching the silver haired boy treat his wounds with less care or experience than was preferable, but at least he was doing it now.

"You do need more than ration pallets, you know that, right? I can't believe Minato-sensei is still letting you take missions. Maybe I should fill out an anonymous report and get him to make you stop..." The last part was quieter, more to himself than Kakashi.

Kakashi looked down at the now-clean gash in his arm, thankfully not deep enough to require stitches. Obito would flip if he saw how badly Kakashi did stitches. He pulled out a roll of bandages and started to wrap up his arm, on the very edge of being too tight.

Kakashi shrugged as he finished tying his arm. "They provide all the necessary calories, vitamins, and other nutrients. Plus, they're convenient. I don't see the need to eat anything else." At Obito's next words, he looked up at the other sharply. "What else am I supposed to do if I'm not on missions? Sit around and be useless?"

Obito snorted, scowling at the sudden defensive tone. "Try getting a life. Find a hobby, take on genin, and don't you have an 'eternal rival' somewhere?" What was he supposed to do? What a stupid question. "Heck, find a medic and learn how to actually take care of yourself if you hate hospitals so much."

Kakashi could do whatever he wanted with his life, and this was he chose? An empty apartment and no sleep?

Kakashi sighed heavily as he packed away his medical supplies, shaking his head slowly more to himself than to Obito. "Yeah. Sure." he stated blandly.

"How are you alive? Why are you here? You said you'd tell me."

The answer wasn't satisfactory, but it would do. The question was one he had foolishly hoped would be dropped. Now, he could either lie or tell the truth. He had never lied to Kakashi before, why start now?

Obito took in a slow breath and began. "I'm alive because a plant man found me and saved my life by bringing me to Madara Uchiha for medical treatment and training. I'm here because I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Kakashi just stared at him in surprise for a few moments. Madara Uchiha? The insane man that had tried to take over Konoha with a tailed demon and was _killed_ by the First Hokage, over a hundred years ago no less? A _plant_ found him?

Kakashi stood up suddenly, walking over to Obito and placing the back of his hand against his friend's forehead. "Obito, are you feel okay?" he asked, concerned.

Obito shook his head, caught between being annoyed and amused. He had known it would sound crazy, but as far as Kakashi was concerned half the reasons he was always late were made up too.

"I'm fine," he stated, not removing the hand from his forehead. It actually felt nice, "I'm telling the truth. Zetsu is mostly plant, he found me and got me out from under the rock. Madara is the one who made him and he fixed me and taught me more than Minato-sensei ever tried to."

"Okay. I've seen or heard about odder things than a plant chimera, but Madara Uchiha is supposed to be dead, isn't he? If you were alive, why wouldn't you try to come back to the village?" Kakashi asked and shook his head, sighing.

"We're all so sad about your passing, Obito, you didn't think to let us know you weren't really dead?"

"I was in recovery for months," he stated dryly, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "When I finally had enough strength to move, I started walking around. We were in a series of underground caves. I... You and Rin were in one of them." The floor was suddenly very interesting and his shoulders suddenly very tense. That was true…mostly, at least.

"I...Oh," that was all Kakashi could say after that. He apparently shared Obito's sentiment about the floor, as he looked down as well. He rubbed his arm up and down in an attempt to calm his churning stomach.

"You saw... Oh, Obito. I'm so sorry. Her death... It was my fault. All my fault."

At Kakashi's words, Obito's leg struck out and connected with the other boy's shin.

"Stop that," he snapped, harsher than first intended, "I was there too, I should have got there sooner, and maybe I could have helped, but I was too slow and you were too weak. Is that why you've been pushing yourself like this?" He really hoped not.

Kakashi flinched a bit at Obito's tone, but made no move to avoid the hit even though as an ANBU he was completely able to. Kakashi shrugged at Obito's words and sighed. He paused for a few minutes before saying anything.

"Not... just that..." he winced a bit, knowing that Obito would be angry. Why he'd be angry? Kakashi had no idea. It was all his fault, after all. "You didn't have to do anything for Rin, Obito, it was my responsibility to protect her. You were for all intents and purposes dead, we didn't expect anything from you. I was the one who got you 'killed' in the first place, and then I couldn't even keep my promise to protect the girl you liked!"

Obito quieted at his words, hands twitching subtly as he reigned in his emotions. He was getting too worked up here, and making too many mistakes. He should have already been gone.

"We're both at fault for mine and Rin's death," his words were blank, masked in a way that hadn't existed three years ago, "I made the choice to get you out of the way, that incident was on me. Rin knew what she was doing, even when she shouldn't have had to make that decision."

"After you passed out, I took out the Kiri nin, took care of Rin's body, and made sure you would be found by Konoha." The Mist ANBU had gotten what was coming to them, as far as he was concerned.

Kakashi nodded slowly. There was still blame on him, but not as much. He couldn't help this sinking feeling that if he'd only been better... No, don't think like that right now. Later, but not now. Obito was here now.

"Are you staying, now that you're back?" Kakashi asked.

That was at least a simple answer.

"No."

He still had other things to attend to. Yagura was under his control now, and he had a lot to do with him. What could Konoha offer him now?

"What?" Kakashi asked, eyes widening a bit. "What do you mean 'no'? Everyone still thinks you're dead and... Well, you're not! What about sensei and me? Your... uh... friends and family? What's more important than that?"

A single brow rose in question as Obito met Kakashi's gaze evenly. Nothing about the expression was even remotely like the Obito that had once existed.

"You didn't pay a lot if attention when we were teammates, did you?" He knew the answer; no.

Kakashi knew how weak the last two points had been, and shrugged after a moment. "Still. Konoha is your home."

He shook his head. "The Great Uchiha Clan never had room for a deadlast... I'm not 'crybaby Obito' anymore; This place has nothing left for me," except... "You and Rin were the only friends I actually had. She's gone and if you keep going like this you will be too, Kakashi."

Kakashi shook his head, but he knew it was true. A few minutes ago he'd assumed he was dead before anything else; either from insufficient nutrients, improperly cared for or ignored injuries, or just getting killed on a mission. Kakashi sighed and looked back down to the floor.

"There isn't much left here for me either, Obito."

Obito shook his head, sighing softly. "I should have been back by now. Zetsu is going to have a heart attack." The boy pushed off the wall trying to sort through his thoughts as he did so.

"Come on. While I'm here you're going to have a decent meal."

Kakashi nodded and followed after his friend. This conversation had left him with more questions than answers, and he was still frustrated that Obito wouldn't stay, but this was the best he could get right now.

"Okay."

"Do you have anything in your kitchen?" Obito asked, looking around the space for any signs of use. There were none at all, which did nothing to improve his thoughts on Kakashi's ability to care for himself.

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "No. Sorry."

Obito's hand struck out, revealing more of his speed than intended as it connected with the back of Kakashi's head. "I thought you were smarter than this," he chided, disappointment and concern clear in his voice. It was a good thing he had come to check on him

Kakashi winced and rubbed the back of his head. "Ow!" he grumbled, glaring a bit at the other man. "It's not like I was starving myself... I always have plenty of ration pellets." The excuse was weak, and the ANBU knew it.

For a moment he almost hit the other boy again before he shook his head, sighing in exasperation. What could they get this late? "Do you still like Miso? I think we can get some of that, you used to put eggplants in yours right?"

Kakashi nodded a bit, hating to admit that Miso sounded good right now. He frowned when his traitorous stomach growled. "Yeah."

Obito grinned, poking his friends stomach playfully. "See? Your body knows you need something. Are you going as ANBU or do you actually own regular clothes?"

Kakashi smiled a bit at seeing his friend grin, his hand coming up to cover his stomach where Obito had poked.

"Yeah, yeah. I have regular clothes.. Give me a second..." Kakashi disappeared, and when he came back he looked more or less normal with baggy pants and a T-shirt. His mask was still firmly in place, however.

"You're still wearing that thing?" he questioned, smiling still. Even the few times he had visited and Kakashi had been looking in a mirror the thing was in place. Did he bath with it or something? At least some things hadn't changed.

"Hm?" Kakashi asked, his hand coming up to touch his mouth. Oh, that. The black cloth stretched over his mouth and nose was hardly noticeable to him anymore. "Yeah, why? Does it bother you? I can take it off if you'd like, no one would recognize me anyway."

"What?" he looked startled, not expecting him to volunteer to take it off. He was just so used to it being there his curiosity had faded into simply noticing its existence.

"You don't have to. It's just... it's been three years, I didn't think you still wore it all the time is all," Obito shook his head, unclipping his mask from his belt and laying it on the kitchen table, "It doesn't bother me."

Kakashi shrugged. "Old habits die hard, I suppose. I'm just used to it, and it helps not having people know what I look like if I ever need to hide."

Kakashi watched Obito set the mask aside on the table with little interest, bringing his hand up to his own mouth as he did so. He shrugged again and tugged the cloth down to bunch around his neck. "What's the deal with your mask, anyway?"

Obito hadn't looked up from his orange concealing agent, shrugging a bit. "I dunno. I beat a bunch of ANBU before, Zetsu thought it would be funny, and I figured why not? It's not like I need people to actually know who I am anymore." It would actually be better if no one did.

He looked up and stopped, eye locking on the newly revealed face of his friend. "You look a lot like-" he cut himself off, not wanting to say anything overly stupid about the clear resemblance with Konoha's White Fang.

"Are you in hiding, then? If what you say is true, you're being trained not only by someone who should be dead, but by a criminal..." Kakashi trailed off, trying to put the pieces of this picture together in his head. What was Obito getting into, if he couldn't return home and let everyone know he's alive?

Madara... was he up to something, and tricking Obito into something as well? He'd try to get more information out of him.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Obito's next aborted comment. "I look a lot like who?" he asked, curious.

"Oh! Madara is dead. He died a few months ago, once he thought my training was far enough along I could get by on my own," he explained, not thinking much about that fact that Madara was one of the most infamous criminals in Konoha history. It wasn't relevant to him in current context anyway.

At the second question the Uchiha shrugged, "Like your dad I guess. Or pictures of him at any rate."

Kakashi supposed the news of Madara's death was good news, so that at least he wasn't going to be coaching Obito any time soon. Still, 'get by on my own' was worrying. "What did he even teach you down there?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly, not a note of his tone revealing anything but idle curiosity.

Kakashi paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I guess I do."

Obito shrugged once more, something he seemed to be doing a lot. "He taught me more than I ever thought I could learn. I'm faster and stronger than a lot of people, my fire jutsu is better, and I've mastered Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan, among a bunch of other things."

He couldn't say too much, because he wasn't sure how much he wanted Kakashi to know, but the old rivalry required that he brag just a little bit.

"Oh? Does that mean you can finally beat me now?" Kakashi teased, leaning his hip against the kitchen table and folding his arms over his chest. He enjoyed poking fun at Obito, just like old times, but also was trying to egg him on to get more information.

He took the teasing with a stride, a confident grin sliding into place. "Probably, yeah. Actually, if Madara was right, I could give Minato-sensei a run for his money soon enough."

He would have to if the plan was going to work. He didn't want to hurt the Fourth, no, but it would be necessary that he could go toe to toe with him when the time came.

"Oh yeah? I never knew you could get that strong so soon. What's the rush, though?" Kakashi asked.

"Things to be done," he replied flippantly, waving his hand in dismissal.

"What things?" Kakashi asked, pushing off the table to go grab some money to buy food. "So important you couldn't tell me you were alive earlier?"

"Just that Madara gave me some ideas and I want to see where they go," Obito explained, "I wasn't actually planning on telling you I was alive," he admitted, starting for the door.

"What ideas? And what the hell!? What do you mean you weren't planning on telling me!" Kakashi shouted, following close behind.

"When did you get so loud?" he asked, rubbing a hand over his ear. "And I mean he just had some ideas for the future I'm going to try and see how they pan out."

Obito kicked at the stairs as they went down them, "And I mean what I said. I was just here to see if you were okay, I was planning on leaving after that. You weren't supposed to find me or know I was alive. Ever."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, looking incredulous. "A man who killed his own brother to steal his eyes and gain more power, who was so insecure and unbalanced that when the people voted and he wasn't their choice he thought the acceptable course of action was to_ summon a demon and attack them_? That's who's plans you're following? I know I've not been making very good decisions lately, but wow. Pot to kettle, Obito."

"Why didn't you want me to know? Does it have something to do with the 'plans' Madara told you about?"

"Look; I'm doing important things, okay? Not all of his ideas involved the death of hundreds. You know the sudden change in Kiri's training policy? Not just because some kid went crazy."

They hit the road and Obito looked around, trying to remember where he was going.

"And you don't think he could have, you know, been_ lying _to you?" Kakashi questioned, "Evil people tend to do that, Obito. He wanted power, and after not getting it from Konoha he held a grudge. He tried to destroy Konoha, failed, and now here you are. Honestly, is there any part of the plan that involves attacking Konoha? Probably all he wanted, and the rest is just to get you to agree."

Kakashi directed Obito in the right direction, leading him to the nearby shops. "That was you? Well... Maybe you are doing some good but that's you, not him. Why don't you come back and just fulfill the good parts of the plan, and not the Madara-driven-forward-by-crazy parts?"

Obito shook his head, walking close to his friend to avoid being over heard even though there was next to no one else out that late at night. "What needs to be done can't happen when I'm restricted by being a part of Konoha, by being Obito. Yes, he wanted to destroy this place, but he's dead for now and I'm not going to do that. If you look at the reports from the Mist, or the Rain, I've been involved there a lot. I'm trying to end war, Kakashi. Kids like us shouldn't have been out there, I want to make sure they don't end up there again."

"Then don't come back officially, but at the very least let the people who care about you know you're alive," Kakashi said, and shook his head, "I'm sure the Fourth won't keep you here if you didn't want to be. Yes, ending war is a noble cause, I have no problem there, but how exactly are you planning on going about it?"

"Tell me what your plan is, maybe I can help. Promise you won't attack Konoha."

"I have to do this on my own. There are too many variables for other people to get involved right now. I need to be in Ame by the day after tomorrow so I don't have a lot of time to spend here," he stepped into the shop, a late night convenience store that clearly catered to ninja. Extra first aid packs, whetstones, and instant food made up most the shelves.

"I do promise, though."

"Don't pull that bullshit with me, Obito. Whatever you're planning sounds like it's going to need a lot of people. Why aren't you giving me straight answers?" Kakashi questioned, grabbing some food and supplies down from the shelves, even his medical kit had been getting low lately.

"It will need a lot of people," he conceded, standing to the side and throwing in a pack of dried vegetables. He hated them, Kakashi probably did to, but they were healthy. The clerk, a girl about their age, kept staring at them from behind the counter.

"Then let me help. Tell me what's going on." Kakashi said, a note of desperation in his voice.

"I can't tell you everything. I can't tell you anything here," he muttered, and plastered a cheerful smile on his face when they reached the check out, greeting the girl with bright enthusiasm that seemed to throw her for a loop.

Kakashi sighed before doing something similar, the entire check-out process remarkably painless. Soon they were taking the bags back to Kakashi's apartment. "Tell me when we get back, then."

"We'll see," he muttered, leading the way back to the building. He couldn't tell him everything. In fact he probably couldn't tell him much, but he owed the other boy at least a few answers.

"Oh," a thought occurred to him as they reached the front door and he turned to look at the other, "I almost forgot; thank you."

Kakashi didn't like the 'we'll see', but it was the best he was going to get. He raised his eyebrow at Obito's next comment. "What do you mean thank you? What did I do?" Kakashi asked.

"You went back for her," he explained, taking the bags from Kakashi and going to put everything away. He had meant to mention it earlier, but the conversation has shifted before he got the chance.

"Oh, that..." Kakashi trailed off before nodding. "Of course I did. What else would I have done?"

"Put the mission first?" Obito offered, putting soup into the microwave. It had been what Kakashi would have done back when he was on the team.

"I couldn't do that. I promised to protect her." Kakashi said. Obito smiled at that and leaned on the counter as the appliance went off. Kakashi went over and took the soup from out the microwave. "Alright, now tell me everything you can."

"Well… There's an organization in Ame I'm trying to put in charge of the region, I control the Mizukage, and Danzo isn't abiding by a lot of laws." If the information Zetsu had come up with was anything to go by the old man was either going to pose a problem or help things along.

Kakashi nodded, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Obito was almost in charge of two shinobi villages. "What's the Ame organization called?"

Obito lifted himself up to sit on the counter, tapping his heels against the wood. "It's called the Akatsuki. The three leaders were trained by Jiraiya."

Kakashi nodded. "And putting these people in charge... It will help stop war? I don't see how."

"Have you ever heard of the Rinnegan?"

"Yes. The sage of Six Paths apparently had it."

"Well, it's actually an advanced form of the sharingan. Madara unlocked it and gave it to one of them," he explained, "If he can find the right motivation and unlock it's full potential that guy can dominate the region."

"Dominate? That doesn't sound good. What exactly are your goals, Obito?"

"I already told you my goals. It's just a figure of speech, the point being that he could take control. His heart is too soft right now, especially for someone who's already lived through one war. When it comes down to a real fight with Hanzo, he should be able to draw on the power. Hopefully, his friends don't die before then."

But if they did all the more reason for Nagato to take control right?

"...That doesn't sound very good. I thought you said you didn't want any more suffering, why would you want him to close up his heart? For more power? Don't you think that will backfire when it finally comes down to it, like he could be too greedy or cold to actually help?"

"I don't want him to close up his heart, but the Sharingan and it's later forms rely on a certain drive to get better, or to get revenge, and can only really be unlocked in a highly emotional life or death situation. It's like our Mangekyo was unlocked when Rin died because of the emotional trauma and the exertion we both put out."

"If it doesn't work out I can always take the Rinnegen back and give it to someone else, but that part of the plan has been in motion for a long time and it would add decades to the time line." Obito gave a casual shrug, "If worse comes to worse I can go in and force him to activate it, but it looks like things will progress in that direction without my direct interference." He had no idea how un-Obito like he sounded right then.

Kakashi's eyes widened as Obito went on, shocked by the implications of what Obito was saying and just how he was saying it. He swallowed hard, pushing aside his half-empty bowl of soup and shook his head slowly. "That's terrible. You're... You're treating people like pawns, like they're nothing. Madara really must have gotten to you, because you aren't the boy I remember."

Obito stopped talking, looking at Kakashi oddly. He knew he wasn't the same kid he had been; he had grown physically and mentally. All he was trying to do was keep more tragedies from befalling the future generation. To make an omelet one must crack eggs and all that.

"Isn't that what they are? Isn't that what we were? Every mission, every war, every order was given by someone who viewed the world in moves and pieces. Time changes people, Kakashi, look at yourself."

"No, you look at yourself." Kakashi snapped, standing up and knocking back his chair. "I thought you'd be different, Obito, there surely must be a way to solve this problem without stooping to their level. How exactly is this grouping going to bring around peace when this man gets the Rinnegan, Obito? What's your plan?"

The other boy looked surprised for a second before an expression of apathy took over. He had been warned before Madara's death not to talk to many people about his plans. This was probably why. "You don't really want to know that," he stated, sure of the answer. He had had the same reaction before his eyes had been opened.

"No, I really do. Tell me." Kakashi pushed.

"The end result will be that no one suffers. That's all you need to know," he had made a mistake coming here. With a grunt he hopped off the counter and started for the door, "I need to get going, I'll be late if I stay longer."

Kakashi reached out, grabbing Obito's arm. "Wait! Don't leave, just... Tell me, please."

He didn't pull out of the others grip, and when he spoke it was in a dull voice that didn't fit who he used to be. "Stop it, Kakashi. If you keep asking me I'm going to tell you, and I don't want to lose your friendship yet. Please let go, I have to leave," Obito reached for his mask, picking it up and looking down at the inside, fit to the contours of his face.

Kakashi straightened up, looking over the man that had once been his best friend. The using people like pawns, uncaring about their lives, the flimsy ideal (what did he consider 'peace'?), the following of a now-dead madman, the secrecy... He let go of Obito's arm, letting it drop.

"I'm not friends with you," Kakashi stated coldly, stepping back and away. "I'm friends with Obito. I have no idea who you are. Get out of my house."

Obito flinched, shocked. His chest constricted and his lungs emptied as if he had been punched. Tears threatened to appear before he violently crushed the urge to cry again. He was done with that. Something hard curled around his heart and he regarded Kakashi with a stare that gave no emotion.

"He was right. I should have stayed away. Well... no matter now."

The boy stepped away, pulling his mask up to his face and activating his Sharingan, "I don't need to be Obito anymore. Madara gave me his name, so I'll be that person instead." The window was still open, and it was out that way he went, crossing the balcony and leaping into a free fall to the earth.

Kakashi felt bad when he saw his friend... ex-friend... flinch and turn away from him. He regretted every word. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have let his tongue speak without his brain's permission. It was too late now, it no longer mattered. He was angry with Obito, and scared for Obito, and hurt, and disgusted all at once.

Kakashi walked up to his window as Obito left. Would he go through with this plan? If he did, Kakashi knew it was his job to stop him even if it meant killing him. "Goodbye, Uchiha Madara." He said out into the night, knowing that Obito would hear him. "The next time we meet again won't be so pleasant."

He heard him, it would have been impossible not to. The last sight through their shared vision would be Kakashi, blurred with tears, and the flash Madara's mask before he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Still not with the owning.**

* * *

_In The Last Chapter... _Would he go through with this plan? If he did, Kakashi knew it was his job to stop him even if it meant killing him. "Goodbye, Uchiha Madara." He said out into the night, knowing that Obito would hear him. "The next time we meet again won't be so pleasant."

* * *

Kakashi sighed softly to himself and stepped back from the window, letting his hand trail off the sill before his arm swung limply to his side. After a moment, he reached out and slammed the window shut. He pulled his headband back down over his red eye to block the double-vision from his end, just in case. He replaced his cloth mask over his mouth and nose, returning to the kitchen to clean up after himself.

'Well, that went _splendidly_,' he snarked, the angry thought directed more to himself than anyone else. Half an hour later saw him heading to Hokage Tower, a report of the incident already written up minus his inability to care for himself and the Masked Man's identity.

Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze was proud to be the Hokage. He had worked years for this job; striving through war and political mishaps for most of his adult life. And now? He had everything he had dreamed of as a child. He was the protector of the Hidden Leaf, people looked up to and loved him, and he had a beautiful wife who had just discovered her pregnancy. He was going to be a father!

But if the amount of paperwork he had didn't go down, a very absent father he would be.

Kakashi landed outside Minato's office, crouching low onto the outcropping of roof outside. He was back in his ANBU uniform for the second time that night. The Hound mask that covered his face was a cold comfort, like a child hiding behind a blanket. He rapped gently on the window with his knuckles, waiting to be let in.

A smile graced the blond man's face as he looked up and caught sight of the familiar mask in the window. Minato spun in his chair and pushed off, sliding across the wooden floor and opening the window once he reached it. "Kakashi," he greeted his silver haired student, the Hokage looking tired but cheerful, "I've been expecting you. You have your mission report?"

Kakashi swung into the room, his hands braced against the window sill as he pushed his legs through first. He turned and closed the window behind him, standing up straight but with a certain tenseness in his shoulders. The aura around his was serious and somber.

"Hokage-sama," he answered respectfully, pulling out both reports and handing them over, "I do, but I think you should read the other one first. I have terrible news. I have reason to believe Konoha will soon be attacked by someone claiming to be Uchiha Madara, acting alone."

The normal air of confident cheer around Minato vanished in a second. The Fourth Hokage looked straight at his student, taking the report and opening it quickly. "You're sure?" he asked, looking down and skimming across the words quickly. His face set into a grim line, jaw tight.

Kakashi nodded once, professional and to the point. "I'm sure. I saw him creeping around the roofs on my way home, so I went out to confront him. He left quickly, but I was able to get some information out of him."

"I see…" Minato set the report on the desk and fell back in his chair, one hand over his face, "and you didn't try to fight him, did you?" It would be just like his student to do something that reckless. One of the other ANBU's reports had him worried, and he was considering taking Kakashi off active duty for a while.

Kakashi shook his head, feeling a sinking feeling in his gut at Minato's tone. "No, sir. I did not engage him," he said, keeping his voice level and empty. God, did everyone share Obito's view on him? He wasn't that bad, he just... He couldn't stay in the village for long. He had to _do_ things.

"Good," Minato nodded and rubbed his temples tiredly. Kushina was going to be mad at him for not being home on time again, but she would understand the importance of this situation... Hopefully, at least, "I'll get T&I on it, but for now, take off the mask and have a seat. We need to talk."

Kakashi took a deep breath at that. Oh, fuck. He was in shit. He exhaled calmly and squared his shoulders, pulling off his Hound mask and letting it hang around his neck by its string. He moved to the chair and sat down with his back rim-rod straight.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

Minato read the movements of his last remaining student, leaning his fingers together and looking at the young man carefully. A lot had happened to the boy in his life, more than should have if you asked the Hokage, but he'd thought that the boy was coping. That he was at least somewhat okay. He was now sure he had been wrong, but the situation must be handled carefully, or the relationship between teacher and student could end up ruined forever. So, he started with something simple.

"You're not in trouble, Kakashi. Relax. How have you been?"

Kakashi relaxed a bit, although his posture was still a bit too perfect for him to have been really comfortable. He watched his sensei with carefully suspicious eyes, but the expression was hidden quite well behind mask, headband, and training.

"I've been fine," he answered evenly, "and yourself?"

"I'll be better when my secretary gets back. How do you break your collar bone when all you do is sit all day?" The man joked, giving a dismal look to the loathsome stack of paperwork. He wished, not for the first time, that Kakashi was just a bit more expressive. It was unnerving to see such perfect control in a teenager. "I heard you got scraped up on your mission? Nothing too bad, I hope."

Kakashi smiled politely at Minato's attempt at a joke, but it didn't really touch his eyes. Usually he enjoyed the man's company, of course, but today... too much had happened to disturb him, and he was too much on edge about the point of the conversation to enjoy much of anything.

"Well, I hope she returns soon for your sake, then. I'm fine, Hokage-sama, it was barely worth wrapping. "

Minato nodded, quickly running out of pleasantries. Small talk was never his best subject, so he simply got to the point of the conversation at last.

"That's good to hear. I've heard somethings that had been… worrying... regarding your behavior on missions." Not to mention the obscene amount of them that were taken.

"Oh?" Kakashi questioned, voice calm and cool. He tilted his head to left slightly in askance, a mannerism he knew the Hokage found unsettling and was more-or-less using just to make him uncomfortable as a form of petty revenge. He could tell where this was going, and he didn't like it.

"Such as? I can assure you that I am very careful to keep up with protocol. I work quickly, discreetly and efficiently. None of my teams have ever gotten into any trouble or danger under my watch, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is that, while your teams are never put in any unnecessary danger, I've received reports that you put yourself through more risks than you need to," Minato sighed and propped his elbows on the desk, giving his student a searching look, "Kakashi, I'm asking you to be honest with me; are you okay?"

Kakashi paused for a moment, absorbing the words. Had it really been that noticeable? He didn't think he was too careless, and his teams had always seemed too professional to care. They went into life-threatening situations daily, saying nothing because it was the norm, and yet they were worried about him? He wasn't that bad... Not bad enough to warrant this, he felt, at the very least.

The pause might have also been, although he'd never admit to it, hesitance before telling a lie.

"Yes, of course. I'm completely fine."

"I see," he said slowly. Minato pressed his lips together, disappointment clear in every line on his face. He had hoped that Kakashi trusted him a little more than this, after years of being his instructor and years more of fighting together, but if he didn't… it hurt, but he couldn't force trust.

Kakashi shifted uneasily in his seat under Minato's disappointed gaze, cringing a bit. God, he hated that look. He may as well have slapped the other man, for the look he was being given said. Finally, after minutes of awkward silence, he sighed and gave in... if only a little.

"Fine. I've been a bit restless lately, that's all. Why are you asking?" he snapped, polite mask slipping for not the first time that night.

It was something at least. "You're important to me. I want to make sure that you're healthy," Minato said, voice slightly stern. Happy would be a bonus, but he was an optimist, not delusional, "How mad would you be if I asked you to take a break from missions?" He was ninety-eight percent sure that the constant search for ways to get out of the village was a kind of copying mechanism shared by at least thirty of his ninja.

"I am healthy!" Kakashi protested, mask cracking a bit more. He sounded more like a teenager now, whining about some punishment or responsibility given.

At Minato's next words, Kakashi's eyes widened and he clenched his jaw tightly. He avoided curling his hands into fists, feeling that would be a bit too obvious. He wanted to say angry; and very, very angry at that. But he couldn't. It wasn't proper. "I would ask you to reconsider. I am fine to continue my missions, and they keep me busy. I'd atrophy without them."

At the first outburst, Minato had started to grin a little. By the time the second sentence was finished, the grin was gone. He really did worry about the younger shinobi sometimes.

"It's not just ANBU that have come to me about you, Kakashi. Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma were in here yesterday saying they felt you've been pushing yourself too hard. We're all concerned about your emotional and mental state."

He let that sink in a moment before he stood up, circling the desk to lean on it directly in front of the silver haired boy. "If you break protocol, I won't care. I'm as much your comrade as I am your leader." He just wanted his student to talk to him for once instead of running off the minute he thought he could get away with it.

Kakashi frowned deeply at that news. He knew they were just worried about him, of course, but it was none of their damned business! And ratting him out to his sensei/The Hokage? Traitors.

It was an immature and petty thought, but Kakashi couldn't help it. He was only a teenager, a boy, after all.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, rubbing his visible eye. "There is nothing for me in the village, Minato-sensei. Nothing to keep me occupied or keep my mind off things. When I'm on a mission at least I'm doing something, helping the village, and being useful. Otherwise all I do is... Well, stare at my ceiling and walls mostly. I'd go insane in a week without anything to do. I don't like talking with the others, I just... Can't."

The older man nodded, understanding that at least. He was too busy most of the time to think of much personally, and when he wasn't working he was around Kushina. But Kakashi was alone in his apartment for the most part. He was going to have to do something about his student working himself to death though.

"Okay. We'll compromise, alright? You take… three days between missions, unless injured, to rest up and _go see your friends,_" he gave a very pointed look to the young ANBU, "I won't interfere unless things get really out of hand."

"You don't have to talk to anyone, but go have competitions with Gai, or train with your old classmates. Something social. If not, I'll tell Kushina you've been brooding again." The threat was not to be taken lightly. After the death of his first student, the Uzumaki woman had forcibly knocked some sense into the remaining members of Team 7 or, if not, they had at least pretended she had whenever she was in view.

Kakashi sighed deeply, pushing his head band off his other eye so he could pinch the bridge of his nose. He hoped the pressure would relieve some of the pain from his temples, but it wasn't working very well. The dull pain made him think briefly back to the double vision he'd encountered with Obito. He'd mentioned vaguely in the report, and he wondered if he ought not to have said anything about it. The fact of being so close as to see through Obito's eyes, but so far as to not see what the man had become... It hurt and he'd rather not think of it at the moment.

Kakashi was tired, very much so, the bags under his eyes and the slope of his shoulders showed it. He was running himself into the ground with these missions. "Fine, fine," he agreed, knowing that was the best he would be getting. Just the mere thought of 'competitions with Gai' gave another spike of pain through his head. He smiled a bit, although it was humorless, "Please don't sic your wife on me, Sensei. By the by, how is she doing?"

The mention of his wife sent Minato grinning like the lovestruck fool he really was.

"She's great," was the immediate answer, followed quickly by a conspiratory glance around, "and don't tell anyone else yet, but we have big news." Minato's blue eyes shone in excitement as he waited for the inevitable question to come from his student, who looked like he should have gone to bed days ago. Maybe he should send him to the hospital, just in case, and make sure he didn't have insomnia...? Oh well, it could wait until after he bragged about his future status as a father.

Kakashi couldn't help smiling back a little, genuinely this time. His sensei's happiness was more than infectious. He was about to answer 'glad to hear' on Minato's update on Kushina when his sensei continued. Minato seemed to just about burst at the seams waiting for Kakashi to ask about what the news was, and of course Kakashi couldn't help but humor him.

"What's the news?" he asked, leaning forward a bit. He was interested despite himself.

"I'm going to be a father," Minato's face threatened to split he was smiling so widely. He just couldn't help but be happy about the fact. He would be crazy not to be happy, despite the risks it offered the jinchuriki. They would make sure nothing happened, plans were already being made, but that was irrelevant. And his student would be the first person he got to tell.

Kakashi returned the grin despite everything else that happened that night. "Wow, really? That's great. You're just finding out about this recently? Do you know how far along she is?"

Wow, Minato was going to be a dad. He couldn't help but be happy for the other man. He'd gone through everything Kakashi did, and he deserved a bit of happiness as well.

Minato sat back, pleased with his student's reaction. Kakashi wasn't getting out of being part of his kid's life, no way-no how, so it was a good thing he was happy about the event. "Not very far, only about five of weeks. Because of…that," he made a gesture vaguely at his stomach to imply the Kyuubi, "it'll take a month longer than normal." It would also be a hundred times as risky.

Kakashi nodded, assuming the demon would be a big problem for the baby. He hoped silently that both child and mother would be alright anyway, and again was silently happy for his sensei's family. He smiled a bit, leaning his cheek onto his hand, his elbow propped up onto the arm of the chair. "Well, I'm happy for you," Kakashi grinned teasingly, "Have you two started to discuss baby names yet?"

Minato laughed, scratching the back of his name out of habit. "We were thinking of waiting until we had a gender to start looking at those. Why? Did you have a suggestion?" It was his turn to tease the boy now, a smile still in place.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, smirking a bit. "Lord knows that with you as the father, you'll probably name them something like '_Naruto_' if they turn out to be a boy. I dread to think what you'd name a girl." Kakashi laughed a bit, although it was quiet.

"Naruto, eh? Not a bad idea." The Gutsy Ninja would be one helluva namesake. Jiraiya might even agree to be the godfather…

"If it was a girl," he started suddenly, "What would you think of the name 'Rin'?" He had been contemplating it in the brief moments he had to himself, but he didn't want to step on Kakashi's toes if he wasn't okay with the idea. In passing Kushina had had interest in 'Mito', after the former Jinchuriki, which would work just as well.

Kakashi was taken aback for a few moments, thinking it over and trying not to sit there slack-jawed. After a few minutes, he found... he was actually alright with it. There was still hurt at Rin's death, more or less by his hands, but... He thought back to her smiling face, her happiness and strength. She'd be a good namesake, and maybe Kakashi would get a second chance at his promise. Even though it didn't really matter, he was pretty much dead-set defending his father-figure's child to the bitter end anyway.

"That would be fine. In fact, I like it." Kakashi smiled a little.

Minato nodded firmly, opening his mouth to respond before he was interrupted by a monstrous yawn. He cracked his jaw joint, covering his open mouth with one hand.

"I'm glad you feel that way. Now, I think it's time we both got some sleep," Minato said, and God knew the little ANBU looked like he needed it. Minato pushed himself up, sending a glare towards the paperwork, and started for the door. "Come on, we can walk together for a few minutes."

Kakashi nodded and stood up, walking around the chair and following after his sensei. He yawned wide as well, albeit silently, a hand over his masked mouth. He followed Minato down the corridors and stairs, and finally out the building the boring way.

On the walk back to his apartment, he was lost in thought about Obito... No, about _Madara_. He thought about the double-vision, the plots his ex-friend had made, his ex-friend's conviction in following said plots, how he treated people like pawns, what he feared Madara's vision of 'peace' was, the safety of Konoha hanging in the balance... He sighed softly, even on the outside he looked quite troubled.

Every now and then, Minato would look back at the younger man with his concern only growing. He hadn't been spending enough time with his kid; the only one he had left. He would have to make up for it, but for the time being there was little he could do. Kakashi was, simply put, private. He didn't like to share with the class, so to speak, but sometimes there were things that needed to be let out.

"What's on your mind?" he asked at last, hands tucking into his pockets.

Kakashi sighed and shrugged his shoulders, raising a hand to scratch his nose. "I don't know, it's just... I'm thinking about that masked man I saw earlier on tonight, the one who claimed to be Madara. He said he wanted peace but I think our definitions vary a bit...I have a bad feeling about this, and what could happen to Konoha because of it..."

Ah, that explained it. Minato reached out, hand dropping atop Kakashi's mass of silver hair to further ruffle the normal spikes. "We'll be fine. Konoha may not have the most shinobi, but we have the strongest fighters and the strongest will. We won't go down, and not without a fight at any rate," he dropped his hand and sent a sly look to Kakashi, "If you're so worried you could stay for a while."

Kakashi returned the look and grinned a bit despite himself. "Not on your life, sensei. I'd die without the missions," after a few more moments he shrugged, "I know we'll be fine, it's just... It feels like something big. That man... He's dangerous. Just promise to look out for yourself, okay? Your wife and future-child as well, though I know I don't have to tell you that."

"I'll look out for them. It's my job as the Hokage to protect the people precious to me." The conviction in his voice was clear. He wouldn't let anything hurt his people, _especially_ his family. He had grown up without one, and he wasn't about to loose the one he had just formed. Besides, it wasn't like he had married a civilian; Kushina was as tough as they came.

Kakashi grinned inwardly at Minato's words and tone. His teacher was always so upbeat and optimistic, it was nice. "I know, I know. And you're good at your job," Kakashi replied, a hint of a smile in his voice before he yawned again. They were at his apartment now and he stretched his arms over his head until his back popped, the skin under his bandage shifting uncomfortably.

The blond man stopped and looked down at his now almost-grown-up student. He would be the taller of the two one day, Minato could feel it.

"Get some rest, Kakashi, the village will still be here in the morning." He hoped the boy got some sleep at least. It was clear he hadn't been getting enough recently.

Kakashi nodded and headed inside, stopping to wish his sensei farewell at the door. "G'night, Sensei. Sleep well." He headed inside and up to his apartment, took off his mask and sword, and then promptly fell asleep face-down on the bed.

Minato shook his head at his student, muttered a similar wish, then went off to explain to his wife why it two in the morning and he was only just now getting in. Maybe it would have been safer to just sleep in his office…

* * *

_Obito was_... well, he didn't know what he was. He was hurt, that much was clear, and angry, can't forget that, and he really wanted to go to sleep and forget the horrible event had ever even happened. But he couldn't. His body was wound like a spring and he couldn't stop moving. The young man had returned to the base he shared with Zetsu not an hour beforehand, twitchy and frustrated beyond belief. He was beating himself up over ever getting caught and angry at Kakashi for not understanding, but mostly he was wounded by the words. They had done more damage than if he had simply been stabbed.

An hour after returning, Obito could be found still throwing himself violently at practice dummies, shattering their wooden frames and splitting his knuckles with little care. He healed fast these days, what did it matter if he had such small injuries?

Zetsu watched these events unfold, halfway sunken into a nearby wall. His ever-watching eyes were fixated on his young friend, and he couldn't help but sigh. He'd wanted to question him when he got back about his lateness...

**Where the hell were you?**_We were worried._

...but had thought better of it after seeing the emotional state Obito was in. Zetsu's two sides were debating with each other. They still hadn't asked, but if Obito got any more violent he could hurt himself, so they supposed it was time. They sunk into the wall and appeared out the floor beside Obito, catching the boy's fist and stilling him.

"_What happened?_"

He hadn't realized it until he'd been stopped from moving, but Obito's entire body had started shaking. From emotional distress or physical exertion, he couldn't be entirely sure. Sharingan de-activated Obito looked over at Zetsu, breathing hard through his nose as he struggled to keep up his composure.

"It was not important," he muttered, struggling to lie convincingly, "I just made a stupid mistake is all. Nothing that affects The Plan."

Zetsu shook his head slowly, pushing Obito's arm to rest by his side. He laid a hand on Obito's shoulder and sighed again.

"_I know that, if it had affected that plan you'd have said something._ **Hm, you are acting strangely, though, so it must have affected you.** _Now, what happened?_"

Zetsu gave Obito a pointed look, not going to accept his friend dodging the question.

Obito looked down, knowing he couldn't lie to Zetsu. The plant man was a good friend, and right now he was the only person in the world he actually trusted.

"I went to see Kakashi again," he had explained his need to make sure his last remaining teammate was still okay before, "and I accidentally opened my eye while I was close enough to see through his. Turns out it works both ways."

Zetsu's eyes widened a faction, even if the expression would be unreadable besides to those who knew him well. He swallowed heavily and looked down at Obito, the white side of his face forming into an expression that looked sympathetic.

"_Oh, I see... I'm so sorry._ **What happened after that?**"

Obito shrugged, though not enough to dislodge the comforting hand on his shoulder. "I yelled at him for not taking care of himself. You should have seen him, Zetsu! He looked like a zombie, he was bleeding for who _knows _how long, and didn't even try to stop it. I don't think he'd actually eaten anything for days until I made him."

"_Not eating? That does sound pretty bad..._ **He took this entire thing hard.**"

"It was actually going okay for a while, but then he asked if I was staying…"

Zetsu looked away as Obito went on, only being able to guess where that went... "**What did you say?**"

His shoes were all Obito could look at, and if anything the shaking had gotten worse. "I didn't say much, but I guess I said the wrong thing because apparently I'm not really Obito Uchiha. And I'm not his friend anymore either."

Zetsu's eyes widened further at that, seeing how Obito shook so hard at the thought and how his voice nearly cracked several times through the sentence. He pulled Obito into a hesitant and awkward hug, not knowing what else to do. God, he looked like he was either going to cry or murder everyone in a ten mile radius.

"_Hey... I'm sure he didn't mean it._ **He'd just come back from a mission, right? Maybe he was just grumpy. **_Yeah, that's it, and our mission is a bit hard to understand at first._ **You were like that when you first heard it.** _He'll come around._"

The plant part of Zetsu made it a bit awkward, but Obito took the embrace in stride. He needed some kind of positive influence right now. His head shook in denial.

"We both know I've changed since I was a kid. It's not like he didn't either, especially after Rin died I just… I didn't think he would _hate_ _me_ like that." he struggled futilely against the urge to start crying in ernest. The look on Kakashi's face would forever be ingrained in his mind, the look of such cold contempt. He had never seen anything like that before, not even in the midst of a fight.

"_Shh, boy. He doesn't hate you,_" Zetsu assured, running of and down Obito's back in what he hoped what a comforting manner. He was out of his depth with human interactions, but The Plan would progress better if Obito was in a _mostly_ stable frame of mind, "**He just doesn't understand yet. **_He will, just give him time._ **He might even help us.**"

"Maybe I should have actually _explained _instead of just implying stuff," he muttered, leaning into the other. He didn't want Kakashi to hate him. He never had hated him, even when they were kids, but their views had always been different. Now, it seems they had switched.

Zetsu nodded, continuing to rub along Obito's back and hum comfortingly. He really didn't know what one was supposed to do in situations like this, but he had to keep Obito cooperative for The Plan.

"_Maybe that would be best._ **Some other time, then. **_Maybe, when you head back there for the first part of the plan?_"

Obito nodded and finally started to calm down. "Yeah. He's not going to be happy with me, but it needs to be done. Besides, if anyone can live through the process it would be an Uzumaki."

"_Of course._**The woman will be fine.** _You'd better go think of what you'll say to him, though._ **Don't want anymore misunderstandings.**"

"Yeah, no kidding," he said as he managed a shaky smile and pulled away, some of the weight lifted from his chest. "Thanks. What would I do without you?"

Zetsu just smiled at him, shook his head, and ruffled Obito's hair playfully.

"**You're welcome. **_This will all turn out fine, don't worry._"

The boy yelped and swatted at the offending arm. "Hey!" he objected, but he was noticeably more at ease, "I think it's about time we got some sleep don't you? Ame won't wait tomorrow." Things to do, places to be. Zetsu nodded.

"**Yes, sleep sounds nice. **_Rest well, Obito._ **See you in the morning,**" and with that, Zetsu sunk into the earth.


	3. Chapter 3

**Kinda short chapter, mostly filler. **

**Thanks for reading, tell us what you think!**

* * *

_In The Last Chapter_... "Okay. We'll compromise, alright? You take… three days between missions, unless injured, to rest up and _go see your friends. Y_ou don't have to talk to anyone, but go have competitions with Gai, or train with your old classmates. Something social. If not, I'll tell Kushina you've been brooding again."

* * *

Kakashi sighed heavily, his brain already throbbing inside his skull with one of the worst headaches he's had in weeks. His ears hurt from the near constant chatter, and it felt like they'd start bleeding with any more. He shook this off, however, to continue one of the ridiculous trials Gai had set up for the day.

1000 strikes on the practice dummy in quick secession. The first to the number wins.

Kakashi moved swiftly, already to about 600, but being forced to listen to Gai blabber on beside him. He had to admit; he was amused by his 'rival'. He was still going to kill Minato for this, though.

Gai was on his 612th strike and chattering rapidly about how wonderful it was to have his rival around to train with once again. In truth, there were few other shinobi his age that were willing to train with him, let alone agree to his perfectly reasonable competitions of strength and stamina. They were in the prime of their youth, how could they not want to see how far they could push themselves? His masked opponent was only a few strikes behind him so Gai, oblivious to the pains of the other, gave a wild shout and picked up his pace.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, speeding up and adding some chakra to his arms. He quickly shot up to 633 before going back to a regular, quick pace. He threw in some kicks for variety's sake. He wanted to get this over with promptly. It's not that he minded Gai, really, but he wished that he'd shut up every now and again. It was nice though; loser had to buy food, so that was a perk.

"I will not lose!" he roared, hitting 630 and struggling to catch up. Gai was determined to catch up, to win! He threw his all into the competition, as he did in every competition, fire in his eyes. By the time they reached 1000, the black haired boy had lost by a total of 5. He was disheartened for only a moment before spinning to face Kakashi, a blinding grin on his face.

"You've won this match, my eternal rival, but I will win the next!" he vowed solemnly, or as solemnly as he was ever able to do.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile a bit in return. He stuck his pinky finger in his ear, cleaning out the wax and trying to stop the ringing. He inclined his head to the other, chuckling softly. "Yeah. I'm sure, Gai," he replied, adding a mental 'and probably will blow my ear drums out as well' onto the end, "How about you go buy us some lunch first? Then I get to pick the next trial."

"Right!" Gai cheered, "As per our agreement; you choose the place and everything is on me. So, where shall we go?" It was very nice to have Kakashi back in the village for more than a few hours.

Kakashi stretched his arms out in front of him, and then over his head. He hummed while he thought, starting out in a walk towards the edge of the training field, trusting Gai to follow him. "I feel like ramen today for some reason," he drawled, back to his lazy and carefree persona.

Gai nodded, trailing behind Kakashi as the other walked. Ramen was good, Ichiraku was nearby as well, so it wouldn't take long to get there.

"Then we'll get some! For failing to defeat you I will walk the entire way on my hands!" Normally, he would have ran on his hands, but Kakashi rarely joined in if he did. So he flipped, landing on his palms, and continued just as quickly as he had been going before with his feet floating in the air.

Kakashi sighed and looked down at Gai, shaking his head slightly. "You know, you really don't have to do that every time I win," he told him, although he didn't slow down.

"I must!" he objected, wincing when a particularly unpleasant rock struck his palm, "Or I will not improve and continue to fail."

Kakashi shook his head again, although now he was giving the other an eye-smile. "Alright, fine. I have to admit, you trump me in the motivation and spirit department. How are you even so enthusiastic? "

"Why would I be anything else?" he questioned, flinging himself into an upright position as they reached the stall, "I have been given the chance to train with you after such a long period of not seeing you at all. I am eager to show how much I am constantly improving! All around us spring blooms with the same youth as we do!" It was true, spring was starting to appear.

Kakashi smiled, but he had to admit that that made him feel a bit guilty. He really had been neglecting his friends lately; his routine was go on a week-long mission, do laundry, sleep, then immediately go on another mission. He used to do that with month long missions, but after three months he'd been firmly cut off by the Hokage.

"I'm sure you're improving, Gai. You're doing great, much better than the last time I saw you," he told the other man as they sat down and ordered.

Gai beamed with pride at the encouragement of someone he viewed so highly, light flashing off of his teeth. "And you as well, always improving! I'm sure you've worked hard to hone your skills! That must have kept you very busy," and away. ANBU training wouldn't be something someone who had only just been promoted to jonin would be involved in after all.

Kakashi nodded, looking down at the bowl that was placed before him, tilting his head slightly to look at Gai before returning his gaze to his bowl. "Yup," he stated, popping his 'p' uncomfortably, "it sure does... Sorry about that, by the way. I should be available more from now on." As per the Hokage's orders.

Gai gave an enthusiastic nod. "That is wonderful news! You've been working so hard lately, some of us were getting worried you were neglecting your health. Even the most youthful shinobi need to let their bodies recuperate now and again." It might have been hypocritical to say, but the other boy had been very worried about his rival. It wasn't that he doubted his abilities, but he wasn't blind. He could see that the years had been rough.

Kakashi shrugged, splitting his chopsticks apart and rubbing them together briefly to get rid of the splinters. "Yeah, yeah. I know, trust me. I've been fine though," Kakashi said, stirring his noodles around. Lies.

"Anyway, how have you been?" Kakashi said quickly, trying to throw the focus off himself.

"I've been fantastic! Now that it will no longer stunt my growth, I have increased how heavy my weights are," he began, falling into a zealous explanation of all the training he had done since they last saw each other. In between sentences, he somehow managed to inhale his ramen as well.

"I was also promoted to jonin last week," he finished, both his speech and food.

Kakashi smiled softly to himself, eating his ramen as Gai went on and on about his training with comments about youth in between. After the last bit, his stomach sank a little bit. Wow, he'd really been out of the loop. His friend had made jonin and Kakashi hadn't even said congrats yet, or known about it.

"Really? Congratulations." He said, grinning at Gai although he felt terrible guilty.

The boy had an idea that his rival felt bad for being absent but opted to ignore it. Apologies had already been made, after all. "Thank you! I was hoping to see you at the celebration but regretfully you were out of the village then," realizing that might not have been the best thing to say he plowed on, "however, you've returned safely now and that's what is truly important. "

Kakashi winced a bit, pushing his bowl away. He sighed and pulled out his wallet. He waved Gai away when he tried to pay, regardless of the earlier competition. "No, it's fine, really. I have the money," I sure go on enough missions for it, "besides, like you said, I wasn't at the celebration."

Kakashi stood up and smiled at Gai, starting towards the exit. "Come on, it's time for the next competition."

After several objections Gai conceded to letting him pay, hopping off of the stool quickly and beginning to stretch. "Right! It's your turn to pick! What'll it be? Laps around the village? One handed pushups? Don't look now, but that girl is staring at you? A race up the Hokage mountain?"

"What?" Kakashi asked, pausing and subtly looking out the corner of his eye at the girl that was, in fact, totally staring at him. Apparently she was out of ear shot because she didn't look away. Kakashi could have sworn he'd seen her somewhere before... Oh no. He turned his head fully, just to be sure, but quickly looked away. He ducked his head, trying to shield his face with his hands.

"Shit," he whispered harshly, thankful he and Gai were at the side of the road instead of crossing the street or something, "I think that's the girl who saw my face the other day."

Gai, more serious now, gave the Sharingan user a surprised look. He had just assumed she was curious about the lack of skin showing, as he knew many were. "You allowed a civilian," as she obviously was, "to see you without your mask?" That wasn't a common occurrence. At all. There weren't many privy to the sight of a maskless Kakashi.

Kakashi shrugged and turned back to Gai, giving him a look somewhere between 'annoyed' and 'desperate'.

"I was just going to the store, okay? I wasn't even wearing my uniform. I thought I passed as civilian. Shame on me for wanting to buy soup without suffocating myself with fabric..." he'd lapsed into somewhat more regular teenage speech, a bit flustered as this had never happened before, "Oh no, she's coming over here. I'm going to say it wasn't me."

Gai frowned, unsure what the problem was. Civilians were harmless as far as he was concerned. "Lying is a very unyouthful act when not necessary," the boy commented, watching the girl walk over with a smile on her face.

"Hi!" She chirped brightly, looking only at Kakashi, "I don't know if you remember me or not, but you and your friend came into the store I work in the other night? Or at least I think it was you, your hair is the same."

Kakashi sighed and plastered a pleasant smile onto his face, although it could have easily been a grimace and no one would have been able to tell with the mask. He turned to face the girl and raised a hand in greeting.

"Hi! Yeah, that was me. What's up?" he said, turning subtly to Gai and giving him a disapproving look that said 'See what you made me do? You made me tell the truth'. Gai read the look and gave him a bright thumbs up while the girl chattered. Kakashi glared at Gai before turning back to the girl, right as the girl said...

"Well, I just saw you over here and felt like saying hi. I wanted to know if you were by chance related to a friend of mine, Hikaru Sonohara, but you and your boyfriend looked busy and I didn't want to interrupt. Or at least I assumed he was your boyfriend, you guys looked pretty close..." she stopped talking at last.

At the boyfriend comment, his visible eye widened and he immediately shook his head.

"The guy I was with last night? No, you misunderstand, I-" but then the girl was being called away by her friends before he could explain. She waved goodbye to the duo, calling back an apology for being an inconvenience.

Oh, she was an inconvenience alright, because now Kakashi was saddled with an inquisitive Gai and an accusation of being homosexual.

"I was unaware you had found someone like that!" Gai exclaimed, "Nor was I aware of your, ah, preferences!" Yes, he thought, that is a neutral word. The perfect description!

"Tell me, is he also a shinobi? How long have you known him? He is a kind person, I assume." It wouldn't do for his eternal rival to be in an unhealthy relationship, though it would explain his aversion to the village...

Kakashi's eye widened even more if that was possible. He held his hands up by his chest defensively, cutting off Gai's line of questioning with a series of 'whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!'s. Once the questions stopped, he took a deep breath and went into damage control mode.

"I am not seeing anyone romantically, Gai. He was just a friend, not even that. I, ah..." think, Kakashi, _think_! "I was just in the store at the same time, and we struck up a friendly conversation. _Only_ friendly, Gai. I'm trying to, ah, be more outgoing!" Yeah, that works.

"Oh," the green-clad shinobi took a minute to process the words before he was right back to where he started, "Bettering oneself through social interaction and stepping out of one's comfort zone! Such youthful action! I would expect nothing less from my eternal rival!"

"I wonder, though, if there _is_ someone you're interested in. We are, after all, in the springtime of our youths! Interest in that area would be expected,"Gai said, nodding sagely and crossing his arms over his chest.

Kakashi's face burned bright red at that and he buried his face in his hands, now _very_ glad they were tucked out of the way of the main street. He took in a deep, steadying breath and let it out slowly.

"No, Gai, I'm not interested in anyone right now. I'm just too busy. I'm also not setting out to look _either_." The last part was accompanied by a pointed look, paired with his mortified expression.

Gai tilted his head, smiling dimming only somewhat. "Oh? If you're sure... I know of several young ladies that would be interested in you, unless you prefer others of course."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his eyes. He thought about it a moment, thinking back to all those times he'd checked out guys and blatantly ignored girls throwing themselves at him... _Nope_, not something he wanted to think about right now.

"First to go across the village and back three times, including scaling the Hokage Monument, wins." He stated quickly, just to end this topic of discussion. It was something time consuming, so at the very least Gai wouldn't be able to bug him about it for a while...

In a split second his focus shot from finding his rival a date to beating him into the ground. Gai gave a mighty shout and dramatic declaration of how he would win or lap Konoha thirty times before taking off at top speeds. Kakashi sighed and started off after him, speeding up as fast as he could. He couldn't just let Gai _win_, now could he?

* * *

After their little race, Gai and Kakashi sat on the roof of the masked nin's apartment complex with their legs dangling off the side of the building. They were both pleasantly out of breath, and each one had a water bottle from Kakashi's fridge. Kakashi watched Gai chatter on, headache now passed and a small smile on his face hidden by his mask. Gai had won this time (mostly because Kakashi had let him, the masked nin was sure).

"Will you still be here tomorrow?" Gai asked, taking a drink and leaning back on the roof. He had had fun that day, competing with someone who would give it their all (as far a he knew).

Kakashi sighed and nodded, the question ringing a bit accusatory in his ears. "Yeah, I will. I'm not taking another mission for at least this week," Kakashi answered, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He was looking over the edge, passed his own feet, and down at the people walking passed like ants far below. Gai nodded, starting to calm slightly from his earlier hype.

"Good. I was hoping to challenge you for a sparring match if you didn't have any other plans."

Contrary to popular belief, Might Gai wasn't stupid. He forgot things (and people) on occasion, as anyone does, and he was more cheerful than half the village combined, but he wasn't a fool. There was something going on with Kakashi, or why would he have asked the Fourth to talk to him? "You seem troubled lately, is there something bothering you?"

Kakashi looked up at Gai and raised an eyebrow. He shook his head before turning his face away to take a sip of water. Once his mask was back in place, he faced front again.

"No, there isn't. I'm fine," he said, the same rehearsed words as always. He turned to look at Gai, debating turning this back on him with a 'Is there something bothering you?' but he knew that wouldn't go very far. Instead, he asked, "Why?"

"You haven't been acting like yourself for quite a while, but lately it's been more pronounced," he explained, "The few times I have seen these past months, you've either looked incredibly worn out or you walked away before we could talk." It had him very concerned.

Kakashi shrugged and looked back down. "It's nothing, really. I've just been... restless lately." Oh yes, because that excuse had gone over so well the last time. He couldn't exactly say that he could only sleep peacefully if his body was close to collapsing though, or that every time he wasn't in danger or on a mission he felt numb. Maybe he was becoming an adrenaline junkie or something? "It's all passed, so don't worry. I'll be around more often now. I'm fine."

"Perhaps, you could take a run around the village or find something to do when you get too restless?" Gai suggested, "Or you could come find me and we could train all that excess energy out!"

Kakashi nodded, quieter now. He gave Gai an eye-smile. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We could do that. Thanks, Gai," he murmured, turning away to take another drink of water.

"Any time! What else are rivals for?" The boy looked towards the sun and got up, stretching briefly, "I'll need to get going soon. I'm going to visit my father today."

Kakashi nodded. He could understand that. "Yeah, I'm going to go visit Rin later, I think," He said before he stood up as well, stretching his arms over his head until his back popped, "Thanks for coming out with me today."

Gai grinned at him, teeth gleaming blindingly. "It was my pleasure. It's good to have you home safely!" Kakashi nodded and smiled at Gai, waving goodbye as the other ninja left over the rooftops.

* * *

Obito sat quietly in one of the many trees that lived in the graveyard, masking his presence with practiced skill. His meeting in Ame had ended abruptly when Hanzo's followers had attacked the base and all were forced to flee. The young Uchiha had decided to come and visit his other friend while he was close enough, making sure not to get caught this time.

The sun was setting when Kakashi finally entered the graveyard, igniting the blue sky into a canopy of oranges, pinks, reds, and purples. Kakashi tucked the book he was reading back into his belt as he walked over to the memorial stone, crouching down in front of it to gently touch Rin's name.

"Hey. I haven't visited you in a while, Rin, I'm sorry," he said softly, smiling a bit, "Hope you didn't feel like I forgot about you. Did you know that sensei is going to be a dad? Kushina-san is pregnant, and he said that if it's a girl they're going to name her after you!"

"Something else happened recently, something bad. I'm worried about Obi-... A man I saw. He's different than before, which I should have expected but..." Kakashi shook his head and sighed, "Never mind. Let's not talk about that now. The baby is good news though, right?"

Kakashi gently touched Obito's name next, but he didn't say anything. It wouldn't be right, as the man was still alive, but the boy he used to be and ideals he held... He was gone, and that deserved some mourning.

Behind his mask, Obito's eye grew wide, and he thanked God that he was out of range. Kushina was pregnant? If so, then that offered him a golden opportunity, and one he couldn't pass up. The problem with female jinchuriki's was that labor weakened the seal, which would make everything easier on his end. Plus, his teacher would get to be a father which was something that was undoubtedly good news.

When Kakashi mentioned him, Obito wasn't sure what to think. Of course he was different; only a fool remained as optimistic as he had been as a child! The boy watched his ex-teammate quietly, his words from the other night ringing in his head once more. They still hurt, but Kakashi would understand one day.

After Kakashi had come back to his senses from the sad place thinking about Obito had put him, he finished filling in Rin on important news.

"Minato-sensei wasn't happy with me the other day. Apparently, some of my ANBU teams and friends around the village reported that I was being needlessly reckless or something, and they were 'worried about my mental and physical' well-being..." Kakashi frowned, resisting the childish urge to call them all 'tattletales'. He was a teenager after all, "And oh, I know you wouldn't approve either. You would probably try to smack some sense into me, but I just... I need something to do, otherwise I just feel... numb. "

Kakashi shrugged and sighed. "Anyway, Minato-sensei at the very least let me compromise. A three day resting period between each mission, and no more this week. I'm still cut off from month-long missions and I have to go visit my friends while I'm in the village instead of locking myself up in my apartment. "

Obito made a mental note to send the Hokage flowers; both for getting a family started and for getting Kakashi to take it easy when he obviously needed a break. The bit about feeling numb was worrisome, but there was nothing he could do about that. He waited until Kakashi had stopped talking to stand, flowers for Rin in one hand.

He paused a moment, waiting to see if the other was going to leave.

Kakashi sighed as he stood up straight and waved goodbye to the headstone. He shook his head a little, feeling bad about venting and bothering the dead with his problems.

"G'bye, Rin. I'll come see you again soon, okay?" he said, smiling a bit. He turned away and walked to the edge of the graveyard, jumping onto a nearby building and beginning his journey home.

Just as Kakashi was nearing out of sight Obito jumped, landing lightly before his and Rin's graves. It was a visit he made every now and again, even though both were empty. The boy shook his head and laid the flowers down.

"He's really something, huh? He's not wrong though; I am stronger now, and I guess I'm a little colder too... I'm going to make sure what happened to you doesn't happen again, with the help of the moon and the Juubi," He smiled and stepped back, "G'bye now."

Obito jumped away, glancing around as he went. Twenty minutes later there was a small bundle of flowers on the Hokage's doorstep, familiar scrawl reading out congratulations and some thanks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4!**

**We love getting feedback, thanks to everyone who's done so!**

**Naruto is not ours.**

* * *

_In The Last Chapter_... "He's really something, huh? He's not wrong though; I am stronger now, and I guess I'm a little colder too... I'm going to make sure what happened to you doesn't happen again, with the help of the moon and the Juubi," He smiled and stepped back, "G'bye now."

* * *

_9-10ish Months Later _

Kakashi was double-checking his supplies for what must have been the third time that night, steadily sorting through each and every weapon's pouch with deft fingers. He pulled out various shuriken, counting them before setting them back into their allotted spaces, and placed all his scrolls into easily reachable compartments. Finally he couldn't stall any longer and closed everything back up securely, sure he had everything he needed. It was time to go.

He was dressed in his ANBU captain uniform, the Hound mask snugly fitted over his face once again. He stood from his bed, slid his sword into its scabbard, turned around and opened his window. He leaped out of the window, landing out onto an outcropping of roof, and started out from his apartment to the Hokage Tower. They had seen suspicious activity around the village, and now all ANBU had been called there by the Hokage.

Konoha stretched out beneath him as Obito stood atop the monument, hands clasped loosely behind his back. He'd regrettably been too busy lately to stop in and see how things were going; the situation in Ame had deteriorated and when he wasn't busy _there_ he was making sure that no one suspected Yagura of being controlled. A recent incident with one of the Seven Swordsman was causing more problems than he would have liked, and with the upcoming birth of a new Uzumaki he had been up to his ears in planning and damage control.

For a break, maybe out of a _smidgen_ of bitterness, he had returned to the Leaf earlier that day and started causing some (mostly) harmless trouble. Now he watched, the Hokage Tower in view as a group of ANBU appeared and vanished, undoubtedly meeting with his old teacher.

Kakashi was thinking quietly to himself as he leaped over the rooftops of Konoha, a bit frustrated and rapidly approaching the Hokage Tower. Today just wasn't a good day; the ANBU had been busy with damage control and clean up for arson, sabotage, and other such mischief caused by an anonymous man all day. An anonymous man that Kakashi suspected he knew the identity of. It also didn't help that Kushina had been ready to pop for a while now and everyone was nervous about her going into labor.

Kakashi was just about to jump up and into the open window of Minato's office when he saw the figure on the Hokage Monument... It stared down at the village, silent and unmoving. He knew it was a bad idea to go alone, but that was sort of his thing. He quickly sneaked off and headed up to confront the figure. He had an idea as to who it was.

He didn't move from where he stood, even when his vision was completed with Kakashi's viewpoint. So, Kakashi was coming to see him? Well, he hadn't hurt anyone today, so there was nothing that he could actually be in trouble for. He couldn't even be connected with his actions.

A few moments later, a short time that seemed endlessly long to Kakashi, the ANBU captain was standing in front of the masked man. His shoulders were squared and he held all the grace and composure his rank commanded from him. He was on the defensive, but he hadn't drawn his weapon yet.

"Uchiha Madara," Kakashi greeted, voice even and emotionless, "What is your business in Konoha?"

Obito almost winced. He was starting to hate that name, but he had chosen to take it up; there was nothing he could do. Still he wondered… He inclined his head in greeting to the young ANBU, not letting Kakashi see how hard he was clenching his hands.

"I can't stop in and see how my village is doing?" He questioned; every note was perfectly polite, if not a bit cold.

"No," Hound said, "because this isn't _your _village anymore."

"It's more than a little suspicious as well. You don't happen to know anything about the criminal activity that has been happening today, would you?" The question was completely empty of any inflection, but even so still held an accusatory air. Behind the mask, Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Obito. The double vision let him see himself, and Kakashi was sure he'd never get used to it.

"Why would I know anything about that?" Obito asked. Part of him was still beyond hurt after their last encounter, and part wanted to laugh because he knew the Hound had come alone. Either he didn't think 'Madara' was a threat, or he was more confident in his abilities than he should be.

"Because I have reason to believe that you're the cause of it, and that you might be planning something that puts Konoha in jeopardy," The Hound answered simply, reaching subtly behind him for a kunai. He didn't think Obito would want to hurt him, he didn't want to hurt Obito either, but still... "I'd say that was enough plausible cause to send you to T&I."

"I suppose," the other conceded, keeping his composure carefully as he watched the silver haired young man. He hoped they wouldn't have to fight, but he was fairly sure he could win if they did. He would rather not have to battle Kakashi, but who knows, it might blow off some steam. "It's a shame I have no intentions of going there."

"I'm afraid I'll have to take you in, sir," The Hound said, pulling out his kunai and shifting his feet into a more stable position. He closed his Sharingan eye since there was no use to giving Obito an unfair advantage. Kakashi almost cringed, treating Obito like a stranger didn't feel right. All the same, he had to remain professional. "By force, if you refuse to be detained."

"If that's the case, I'm afraid I'll be forced to refuse. I'd advise you to put your weapon down and leave." Obito didn't move, not even his feet, perfectly content to let Kakashi make the first move. He wasn't as impulsive as he once was, at least not when the threat of a battle came up.

Kakashi clenched his jaw under his mask and for a moment everything was still. Then, fast as his lightning element, Kakashi had thrown the kunai towards Obito's right shoulder and was off. He sprinted around and slid behind the other man as Obito dodged. He came up on the left and tried to swipe Obito's feet out from under him.

Obito lifted his feet, avoiding both attempts at attack. The ANBU really was fast, but the Sharingan would always give him the advantage in a fight. As his feet touched the dirt, the Uchiha spun and caught the punch Kakashi had aimed at his back, using the momentum to throw Kakashi back while simultaneously slipping a kunai into his hand from his sleeve and slinging it at the other boy's thigh with expert precession.

Kakashi dodged the kunai with a quick jerk of his leg, but only just barely. The blade stuck deep into the earth just between his legs. Kakashi flipped backwards and back onto his feet, landing in a crouch and pulling his sword out of his scabbard. He ran at Obito again, faking left before going in with a thrust of his sword towards Obito's side.

Obito's sharingan morphed, glowing red inside the shadows of his mask as he let the blade and its wielder go straight through him with his intangibility. He grabbed the Hound's arm before he could phase out to the other side and side-stepped. In a short series of movements the Uchiha had driven his elbow into the crook of his opponents arm, forcing the masked face close enough to backhand. He let go then, taking a few steps away and pulling out another kunai.

Kakashi was sent flying through the air a few paces from the force of the slap. He tucked and rolled, landing hard on the rock of the Hokage monument with each turn. At the end, he rolled back into a defensive crouch. It was clear Obito was better than him, even without the advantage of the double-vision.

Kakashi snorted in frustration before attacking again, slashing into Obito's arm as he dashed past and around him. He finally landed a hit, the cut curving around Obito's arm. "Why are you even here? You said you didn't want to destroy Konoha!" Kakashi demanded as he spun to face the other, breaking character of his ANBU persona.

"And I haven't, have I?" he asked, tilting his head to look at the ANBU. His arm stung but it wasn't a deep cut, and the middle of a fight was no place to bandage it... Even when he had proof that he had finally, finally surpassed his prodigal teammate.

It was a bittersweet victory, but one he would take anyway, and getting the ANBU to break out of his normal shell of regulations and rules was a plus. "I had some free time on my hands and felt like coming to see how things were going, even the great 'Madara Uchiha' needs a break once in a while."

"Oh, like I believe that for a second!" Kakashi hissed back, keeping his sword up and pointed at Obito. He felt the various shallow scratches and bruises over his body, but they hardly even registered, "I know you're planning something. We've been monitoring the places you've said you've been, and I've seen what you've been doing. Whatever your definition of 'peace' is, I think it differs from ours."

"Ah."

He had been hoping they weren't keeping track of all that. Well, it wasn't like he was trying to cause that strife. However, he needed control of those areas and in order to gain that control the current systems had to be changed.

"Conflict is unavoidable. The Mist is entering into a bloody civil war and Ame is right in the middle of their own. Both will end soon," or grow exponentially more violent, if the anti-bloodline limit radicals had anything to say about it.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the other and pulled his sword closer to his side. "I don't care what your reasoning or plans are, just keep them out of the Leaf Village. We have no need for your 'help', or whatever it is you're planning. You're not welcome here."

Obito was grateful for the mask, because he almost lost it at the cruel words that were stabbed into his ears. His hands twitched, his breath hitched, and he had to fight not to do something impulsive and stupid like throwing Kakashi off the mountain.

Instead he took in a slow breath through his nose, keeping it silent and controlling his voice. When it came out, even he was surprised by how chipped and icy it sounded. "It's too bad I wasn't asking permission. I'm not welcome here, hm?"

Kakashi's breath caught just how_ evil_ Obito sounded, and if he didn't know better he'd think it really _was _Madara himself in the flesh. He clenched his jaw as Obito repeated his words, condescending and cold, and hissed out his extra air through his teeth.

He moved, faster than the human eye could follow, and appeared behind Kakashi with a kunai held against the boy's throat. "I wish you didn't feel that way."

He remained very, very still when he suddenly felt Obito close to his back, the cold of metal pressed against his jugular. He could see the back of his head from Obito's eye. What was he going to do?

Obito's fist connected with the back of his old friend's neck, pulling away the kunai at the same time.

The punch stunned him and he dropped down to his knees as his vision went fuzzy and black. The kunai had been removed, but a small cut oozed blood just a hair's breath away from a place that_ would _have killed him.

He dropped forward, but caught himself on his hands before his face could smash against the rock. He coughed hard, dispelling saliva and slight amounts of blood. By all means, he should be unconscious, but they didn't make him an ANBU for nothing. His ears were ringing, and Obito could see his vision was blurry and blotted. Kakashi wouldn't be fighting for a while.

The boy stepped back, stowing his blade and looking over his opponent carefully. He had made sure not to actually hurt him, for all he wanted to return the damage the ANBU's words had done to him he still cared about the boy. If he didn't, why would he have left take-out in the others apartment before coming to the mountain?

He felt more than heard others beginning to approach, probably in search of him. Obito bit back a sigh, or any sound, and crouched down. He picked up the sword the silver haired boy had tried to stab him with. He stood a foot away from Kakashi, turning the blade over in his hands and watching the light reflect and glint off its surface.

_He thought about walking up right behind Kakashi, the other boy still heaving for breath and blinking back spots, watching his ex-friend's shoulders rise and fall desperately. He switched his grip on the blade into the offensive, raised it above his head, and aimed... _

…before he stabbed it in the ground and activated his Kamui once more, vanishing into the vortex without a word to his former friend.

Kakashi was left struggling to get his breath back in the wake of Obito's strike. If he'd had the air in his lungs to do it a moment ago, he would have asked Obito why he didn't just kill him. He knew why, but his defeat made him bitter and he longed for one last dig into his ex-best friend. His breaths were shuddering and his forehead almost touched the ground as he coughed. He'd tensed and then sighed when he'd heard Obito raise and stab his sword, respectively. He knew that Obito was gone.

He heard the other ANBU scaling the side of the mountain and found the strength in himself to stand shakily. He stumbled over to his sword and pulled it out of the ground, returning it to it's scabbard. He composed himself just moments before Owl and Ox stood before him.

"We must get back to the Tower and warn the Hokage. The Masked Man was sighted here and I think he may be the one behind all these small crimes. I think he's distracting us from some bigger plot," Hound said, the picture of professionalism.

"And you engaged?" Owl asked, her voice incredulous.

Hound gave her a look that immediately shut her up, and in minutes they stood before the Hokage and the rest of the ANBU.

Minato had been sifting through reports, bewildered at the sheer lack of pattern; An empty building lit on fire, several hundred windows blown out, the pound wall falls apart and a dozen dogs escape, the entire Uchiha compound's supply of hair products replaced by various neon dyes… The list went on and on and he had no idea what to do with it. The ANBU were out looking for the culprit and cleaning up his messes. Most of them had returned with nothing new to report, not even a sighting of who it was. He had called Kakashi in almost half an hour before and there was _still_ no sign of the kid.

When his student did finally walk in, a line of blood sliding down his neck, Minato grew tense and on guard. Another inch to the right and the boy could have died. "Hound," he had to at least pretend to be a professional, "Report."

Hound nodded, flanked by his usual team of Owl and Ox. He cleared his throat, still a bit scratchy, and began. "On my way to Hokage Tower roughly a half-hour ago, the Masked Man was sighted near the top of the Hokage Monument. I pursued in an attempt to get some answers about this streak of odd criminal activity we've been having."

Kakashi almost cringed; Minato was not going to be happy about that. Talk about a 'careless risk', eh? At least sensei wouldn't reprimand him with Owl and Ox here... Would he? "I told him I had plausible cause to detain him, he_ declined_."

"He said something along the lines of being innocent, which clearly couldn't be believed, and said he was just 'dropping by' to check on his village. I got him to talk about Ame and the Mist a bit, and have enough to confirm that either one or both of their civil wars were caused by him. I told him to take his business elsewhere, said he wasn't welcome here, and he left." _After kicking my ass. _

"Just that easily?" the Hokage didn't wait for an answer, instead turning to the other two ANBU and putting on his 'I am your leader, listen to me' voice, "Owl, Ox, inform the other teams still in the field of this development. I want all ANBU and jonin ranked ninja looking for this man. Consider him armed and extremely dangerous. _Do not engage_. Any sightings are to be reported directly to me."

Minato watched the two snap to attention before poofing away into smoke. He turned to Kakashi then, facing him straight on. He was somewhere between angry, horrified, and relieved at the news he had received. "You pursued a man that could very well be Madara Uchiha,_ on your own_, and attempted to detain him. _On. Your. Own._ I thought I taught you better than that."

Kakashi ducked his head, shifting nervously on his feet. One hand came up to run through his hair and he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you did. You're a very good teacher, but I..." Kakashi trailed off, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly and silently.

"Okay, so it wasn't my shining moment of excellent planning, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't let him get away, and he'd be long gone by the time I could report to you..."

Minato gave the boy a flat look. "So, you went after him without notifying anyone of anything. Kakashi, you could have died." He could have lost his last student that night because he didn't seem to understand the idea of asking for help. Had he really failed so much in getting teamwork into the boy's head?

"I would have rather he got away than you risk getting your throat slit," he muttered, quieter this time. Fear. That was the most prominent emotion right then, "He got away anyway and you managed to get yourself injured!"

Kakashi kept his gaze down, guilt and shame bubbling up through his chest and into his throat. He wanted to say that it was Obito, and he knew Obito would never kill him... Or he hoped not, at least. He was worried for the Masked Man; how far from sanity he seemed to have fallen, how cold he'd become... Even so, he had no more right to call the Masked Man Obito, because he'd chosen the other name and so had his ex-friend.

Instead, Kakashi just said, "Sorry, Hokage-sama. It will not happen again. What will my punishment be?" God, he just wanted to get this over with. Minato was silent for a long time before he sighed.

"For now, go to the hospital and have someone heal your neck. You'll report to T&I tomorrow and find Yamanaka Inoichi for a new psyche evaluation," he said. He paused for a moment, thinking carefully about his next order, maybe making the boy ANBU had been a bad idea...

Kakashi nodded at the first two bits. He didn't like hospitals, and he especially didn't like being Mind Walked, but he had little choice at this point.

"You can turn in your mask now."

His eyes widened and it felt like the breath was knocked out of his chest. He swallowed hard, as if a lump had been formed in his throat.

"No!"_ unprofessional,_ "I mean, wait! Please reconsider, Hokage-sama. I promise it won't happen again, and you can't do that! I just... Please, don't do that," he pleaded, breaking his 'Hound' character and letting the teenager finally show through.

Minato shook his head sadly, looking down at the only student that he had left. He wasn't trying to coddle him, it was far too late for that now, but putting him on such high risk missions when he was clearly traumatized and possibly/probably suffering from both depression and survivor's guilt had been a bad move in the first place.

"Look at what happened tonight. You knew how dangerous the enemy was but instead of looking for someone to go with you, or even sending a proxy to get backup, you went on your own._ And_ got injured for it. How am I supposed to trust you to make decisions in the field that will keep your whole team safe if you make choices that are unnecessarily risky to yourself?!"

The Hokage sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you've been having a hard time and that missions are the best way to avoid thinking. I heard from someone a few months ago that you mentioned feeling 'numb' whenever you weren't working, but I can't let you, or anyone else, get themselves killed needlessly."

Kakashi grimaced, shifting uncomfortably as he tried in vain to think of some rebuttal that would let him stay on as an ANBU. Eventually, he thought of nothing, so he gripped his mask and tore it off. His face was scratched badly, and there was a bit of blood at the side of his mouth that was seeping into his cloth mask. He set it down on the desk, avoiding slamming it no matter how much he wanted to, _not professional_.

"What the hell am I supposed to do now, then? ANBU is the only reason I leave my apartment most days. I'll go insane in a week!" Kakashi protested, gritting his teeth. "I've never put any of my teams in danger, and you know that. And who the hell said that?" Granted, it was true, but he never told anyone that.

Minato winced. He had known that things were bad, but he had been trying to fool himself into thinking it would work out. Well, it hadn't worked out, and now he wasn't sure how to proceed. The truth was usually a good place to start.

"I don't actually know who reported it. There was a note attached to some flowers sent to Kushina and myself the day after we found out about the baby. Whoever sent it seemed very concerned for you. I had hoped my requiring you to spend some time here outside of missions might help. Apparently, I was wrong."

"Oh, so now _anonymous_ people sending notes have more weight with you than I do? Because they'd know _so much _more about how I'm feeling than myself," Kakashi muttered sarcastically under his breath, shaking his head. He was clenching and unclenching his fists, trying to remain calm. Who the hell had sent it? The fucking flower arrangement faerie of mental health?

"And it has been helping! I made one mistake, sensei, it won't happen again. I've been sticking around for longer like you asked me to, and I've been talking to my friends, I spent the entire day with Gai a couple days ago!" He knew at this point his protesting was useless, but he had to try.

"They have more weight when I know that you don't think you can tell me things yourself!" He hadn't meant to raise his voice, even the fraction of a note that it had, but he was getting tired of Kakashi refusing to talk to anyone. The boy hadn't even denied the accusation. "If it_ is_ helping, then why are you still so desperate to go out on missions? Gai came in for his and wouldn't stop talking about how next time you trained with him he would get to the top of the Third's head first. If this _stunt _you pulled tonight had gone bad, there wouldn't _be_ a next time."

At that point, Minato wanted to see Kakashi strike out; for him to act like a normal teenager the way he was so close to doing, because really that's all he was. A teenager that had lost too much in too little time.

Kakashi really didn't want to think about what would have happened had he died tonight. How Minato would have felt, how Gai would have felt... Hell, probably how Obito would have felt, too. The guilt came to him like a punch in the gut, and all he wanted was to deny and just... Stop this. He didn't like talking about his feelings, he wasn't good at it, and Kakashi visibly winced.

Kakashi was about to start yelling, when he just... Sighed. He nodded his head and took a step back from the desk. He closed himself off again because he just couldn't do this right now.

"Okay, Hokage-sama. I understand. I will report to the hospital as soon as possible, and then to T&I tomorrow." Then promptly shut himself away in his apartment for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time. He knew this would spread like wildfire and he'd be the gossip of the village for a while. He wasn't stupid enough to expect otherwise with this entire building full of ANBU. Some cruel people will think he deserved it, but the ones who gave him their pity was what really killed him. He didn't even want to think about Gai...

Minato nodded, taking that as the best he was going to get. He had expected worse, or maybe better, he didn't know what would constitute as which right then. It hadn't been something he wanted to do, Kakashi was a good ANBU, a good shinobi in general, but he cared too much for his student to let him go off and be as reckless as he chose.

"Good. I know ANBU meant a lot to you, but you're still a jonin if nothing else. And if Kushina goes into labor, I still expect you to come with us... if you choose to do so."

Kakashi nodded sharply, professional mask back into place even if he was leaving his Hound mask behind. "Of course, Hokage-sama," he said, keeping his voice even and emotionless. He went to the window and opened it, and in moments he was gone.

(line break)

He soared over the roofs of buildings on his way to the hospital, absentmindedly reaching up to touch his bleeding neck. A good spot on his mask was stained now. Dammit, he hated washing day. A few minutes later, he landed in front of the hospital and walked in. Thank god it was a calm night, and no one else was here... They could see him right away. In and out quickly.

There were precious few shinobi who enjoyed going to hospitals. There was just something about them that, for those who had been born into a generation of war, reminded them of death instead of healing. However, every once in a while everyone had to come in, be it for a broken arm or a physical.

The latter is when had brought Asuma Sarutobi to the place that night, the appointment scheduled to accommodate him just getting back from a boring, diplomatic mission. He had passed some very miffed looking, multicolor-haired individuals who he could have sworn were Uchiha on the way in, and on the way out he ran into one of his old classmates.

"Kakashi," he called and raised a hand in greeting, entering the near-empty waiting room. It had been a few months since he's seen the boy in more than passing. Kakashi turned his head towards the voice, waving back tiredly as the other man came over to stand with him.

"Yo, Asuma," he said, smiling pleasantly at him in a way that didn't quite touch his eyes. He turned to face front quickly, not wanting the other to see the splotch of blood on his clothing or look too hard at his battered body. He felt ridiculous, here in his ANBU uniform but without his mask. The other ANBU were all out and about, and he was sure Asuma would see something was up.

"What are you in for?" he asked, trying to keep attention off himself.

"Just had to update my physical," Asuma explained, taking the seat next to the ANBU, "What about you? Rough mission?" It looked like it, but he wasn't sure if he was breaking protocol by asking. ANBU were usually very secretive about their jobs, and Kakashi was a private person to begin with.

"No," Kakashi said, shaking his head. He shrugged and scratched his nose, "I just ran into that Masked Man, he's should be gone by now. Hokage sent me here to make sure I'm okay, and to get fixed up."

The other shinobi let out a hum of understanding. The word on the street was that someone only identified as 'a masked man' had gone around Konoha causing mischief. He had seen some of the person's handiwork first hand in the form of Academy children on an unsanctioned sugar rush, throwing chairs out of windows.

"Any idea as to who the guy was?" he asked, noticing two nurses conversing and staring 'inconspicuously' at them. Or more specifically Kakashi.

Kakashi thought for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek. He shrugged and let out a quick 'nope', popping his 'p'. He dropped down into his own chair with a sigh, leaning back against the uncomfortable plastic. He glared subtly at the nurses who weren't looking at him that moment, he had moved closer to hear their conversation. He could just barely hear them...

"What about you? Did you see him at all? ANBU is asking anyone who saw him to report to the Hokage," Kakashi informed Asuma.

Asuma shook his head, relieved that he hadn't. "No, but I've seen what he did. Have you seen Fugaku Uchiha? I'm sure he has something to say about that masked guy." He had run into the Uchiha clanhead earlier and had to struggle not to laugh at the strange shade of orange that had overtaken bits of the man's hair.

Off to the side, the nurses glanced at them again and this time Asuma heard what one was saying. "That's definitely him. Mimi says her friend in ANBU said that he went off after the guy _alone_ and almost fell off the Hokage Monument!"

Kakashi chuckled quietly. "No. I haven't seen any of the Uchiha, actually... I really want to now. Neon hair dye, right?" Kakashi might have hated Obito at the moment, but... That was funny, he had to admit. Especially since it was happening to the uppity _Uchiha_.

Kakashi sighed went he heard the nurses talking, turning away from them to face Asuma more head-on. "I didn't know word of that would spread so quick..." he murmured, mostly to himself, as the ladies gossiped. He hated being the subject of talk; it made his heart twist uncomfortably in his chest.

"I'm sure you had your reasons," Asuma stated, completely ignoring the women in favor of facing the other shinobi, "But yeah, from what I heard it's every member of the clan that took a shower this morning, and you know the Uchiha..." He rolled his eyes. It was a well known fact that many Uchiha were at least _somewhat_ obsessed with appearance, so a good percentage had gotten hit.

"It's not just that either. They had to pull in retired Academy teachers to try to calm the kids down, and when that didn't work Inoichi went in and knocked them all out. Then, some of the fences around the Nara property were knocked down and now we've got deer roaming around with a clan too lazy to gather them up."

"I heard he got kicked out by the Hokage," the other nurse whispered, no more quiet than the first.

"No! But he's his student!"

"I know! Poor kid, first that stuff with his team and now this…"

"You don't think that's why he did it, do you?"

Asuma rolled his eyes at the civilians. "Where do they even get their information?"

Kakashi was grinning by the time Asuma had recounted all the pranks he'd encountered, at times interjecting with a little 'oh no!' or 'oh my lord' to the ridiculousness of some of the things. He frowned at the nurse's gossip -how the hell had that gotten out so fast?- and looked uncomfortable at Asuma's reaction.

"Actually, um..." He sighed, his shoulders heaving slightly as he readjusted himself in his chair. He rubbed his tired eyes and shrugged. "I did get kicked out of the ANBU by the Hokage," he said softly to Asuma, so the nurses wouldn't hear.

Well, that threw him for a loop. "Oh…" that was all he could say for a minute, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Do you want to… talk about it?" That was probably a no. They had never been overly close; they were friends, comrades if nothing else, but neither one went out of their way to spend time with the other.

"Not really, no. He's just... Being irrational." Kakashi said, he knew that wasn't true but he still felt like the Hokage was blowing this all out of proportion. God, he hated Obito right now. At least he'd gotten his wish and Kakashi was out of danger... "I'll be fine. He'll let me back in soon, I'm sure."

"Probably," Asuma agreed, if only because he doubted Kakashi wanted to hear otherwise, "So, what's this I hear about you having a boyfriend?" Gai had mentioned something several months ago about an occurrence when he was training with Kakashi, and Asuma had to admit he was curious. It was about as far off the ANBU topic as he thought he could get.

Kakashi sputtered momentarily before he covered his face with his hands. He took a deep breath, letting it go slowly after a few long moments. He shook his head.

"No, I don't," he sighed before dropping his hands, "A cashier-girl just thought I did because she saw me talking to another guy while I didn't have my mask on."

Asuma snorted. "That would do it."

Kakashi was well known for always having his mask on, God only knows why, and there was betting pool between their class mates about just that. Something as simple as talking to someone without it would set something like that off in their village, or any village like it for that matter. "Gossip is the life blood of shinobi villages, after all."

Kakashi nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess so, but I really wish I wasn't the target of it quite so often. Mostly because people tend to report the rumors they hear to the Hokage and he _apparently_ thinks them all true..." The last part was grumbled and said bitterly under his breath. He sighed again.

"Looks like I'm going to be the target of gossip a good while longer now..."

Asuma gave a world-weary sigh. "Trust me, I know what you mean. With all the things people say about me and dad…" he shook his head, "Anyway, if you ever want a break from it, Kurenai and I are around."

Kakashi gave Asuma an eye-smile and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Just then he was called in to be healed up, so he stood and said his farewells to Asuma. Minutes later, he was in a hospital room waiting for a doctor.

Once Kakashi was out of sight, the son of the Third Hokage stood up and approached the two nurses. They were still gossiping, this time about one of their coworkers. They turned to look at him and started getting nervous. One of the ladies shifted uncomfortably on her feet as Asuma drew nearer. "Um, yes? Maybe we help you?" she squeaked.

Asuma put on his most politically correct smile as he addressed the two. "Well, yes. You see, my friend and I couldn't help but overhear you talking, about him."

The girls paused and looked at each other. They looked back to him meekly, each one of them instantly appearing ashamed to have been caught in the act. The brunette that had spoke stared down at her shoes, scratching the back of her neck nervously. "Oh... Well, I'm very sorry."

She elbowed the other girl who quickly apologized as well.

"Oh, it's not a problem for me, but I would appreciate it if you would gossip only when shinobi aren't around to here you. Specifically, the ones your talking about," he tilted his head, "If it wouldn't be too much trouble I'd like it if you would apologize to my friend too."

The girls both nodded furiously, as if they were two bobble-headed dolls. "Of course, of course. We didn't mean anything by it. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Thank you," he gave them both a polite smile before leaving, positive they would be gossiping again by the time he was out the door.

* * *

Taji, a young medical ninja of promising talents, entered her examination room with clipboard in hand and pen behind one ear. "Alright," she started briskly, looking up at her patient, "What are you in for?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I've been sent by the Hokage to get healed up. I have a lot of cuts, a lot of bruises, one minor slit in the side of my neck, and was knocked unconscious for a few seconds via head trauma," he listed off, keeping his voice indifferent.

The girl cast a quick glance over her patient, a few years younger than her, and gave a quick nod. "If that's it I'll have you out of here in a minute," she assured as green encompassed her hand and she closed the distance between them, "If you would kindly remove your mask, so I can see?"

Kakashi paused for a moment, then he sighed and tugged down his mask. He pulled it away from his face and throat so the doctor could work. "I assume you have doctor-patient confidentiality?" He joked, but another part of him was a bit nervous. Gossipers were everywhere, you couldn't know whom to trust.

She gave him annoyed look, placing her hand gently on his neck. "Of course I do, and unlike some people I actually take it seriously."

Kakashi sighed in relief and smiled at the medic, although it didn't touch his eyes. "Thanks, it's just that I'm going to be a subject of a lot of gossip soon. I'd rather not add to it. Gotta be careful and all that."

"Soon?" the girl gave him a dry look and cupped his cheek, "I've heard your name eight times in the past ten minutes. You fractured your jaw, by the way."

"...Eight times?" he said, eyes widening and a hopeless look came over his face, "Please tell me you're joking. Not saying nice things, I assume... What _are_ they saying?"

"That you got kicked out of ANBU for being suicidal, mostly. Something about the man that let loose all of the test frogs in the basements, too; that you went out alone to fight him." She dropped her arm once the fracture was healed. "Turn around so I can get the back of your head."

Kakashi looked mortified as he turned around. "I am NOT suicidal! God, why is everyone so concerned about my mental health? All I want is to go on missions and live my life, like anyone else. I just... take more missions than the average shinobi..." Kakashi shook his head a little, trying not to disrupt the doctor, "and I had to fight him alone."

Taji rolled her eyes, sending healing chakra into the back of the shinobi's neck. "That's what they all say." She had heard it time and time again, and sometimes it had been true, so there was no point in her arguing or prodding.

Kakashi just sighed and leaned his chin onto his hands. At least he'd been sleeping better lately... He'd hate to think of what a doctor would say about the bags under his eyes. "I just wish the Hokage didn't believe everything he heard about me. He got a note from an unknown sender about something I apparently said and took it as gospel!" Granted, it was true. The medic didn't need to know that.

"There have been twelve suicides and thirty seven kamikaze attacks in our ranks since the war ended. If I were him, I'd be keeping an eye out too." At last she was done, stepping back and scratching things down onto her clipboard.

Kakashi sighed deeply and shook his head. "Yeah, I know... I shouldn't be so hard on him for caring, but still. Am I free to go?"

"Almost," she said before she looked up again, "Have you experienced any unusual aches, pains, cold/flu-like symptoms or strange cases of chakra depletion in the last forty eight hours?"

Kakashi thought for a minute before shaking his head. "No, I haven't."

A few more boxes were checked and Taji hummed. "And your transplanted eye, anything unusual about it?"

Kakashi paused again. _The double vision_... "No, nothing."

"Then you're free to go. I'll see you soon."

Kakashi nodded and stood up. He thanked the doctor and pulled his mask back over his face, setting it carefully over his nose and making sure it was secure. He opened the door and left the room, walking through the corridor until he found a window. He climbed out, and in mere moments he was off into the night again. He sighed as he leaped over building after building. How was he supposed to get himself out of this mess?

He entered his apartment like he had all those months ago, standing in the pitch black for a few moments before turning on the light. He headed into his bedroom, pulling off his sword, his weapon's pouches, and his supply bag and setting them down on his bed. He headed into the kitchen, stretching lazily, and found a box of takeout and a note on the counter. He examined them curiously.

He didn't even read the note. As soon as he recognized the handwriting, his face darkened and his manner swapped to something colder. He crumpled the note, and threw both it and the takeout into the trash. He took a few ration pellets, the tasteless things bitter in his throat, and went to bed.


End file.
